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Organic Cotton Summit 2026
 
2 June 2026
4 June 2026
Istanbul Marriott Hotel Şişli, Istanbul, Türkiye
Summit

Thank you for joining us in Istanbul for the Organic Cotton Summit 2026

Over three days, we brought together farmers, brands, suppliers, policymakers, investors, solution providers, and civil society organisations from across the global organic cotton community. Together, we explored how to strengthen trust, build resilience, unlock investment, and scale organic cotton systems that are fair, viable, and fit for the future.

What made this Summit particularly valuable was the diversity of voices in the room. Close to 270 participants from 24 countries attended, spanning key production and consumption regions and reflecting the diversity of stakeholders shaping the sector. From farmer-led discussions and regional dialogues to practical workshops and collaborative problem-solving sessions, the conversations reflected both the challenges facing our sector and the collective determination to address them.

We are especially grateful to our speakers, moderators, sponsors, exhibitors, and partners for sharing their expertise and experiences. Your contributions helped create an environment where meaningful dialogue could lead to practical action.

The Summit was built around a simple ambition: turning shared commitment into solutions that work on the ground. The insights, connections, and collaborations that emerged over the past few days demonstrated the strength of our community and the opportunities ahead when we work together.

The full press release with key insights and outcomes from the Summit is available at the link below.

Our press release

Quotes from the event

  • "
    I make a variety of organic inputs which helps replace chemical inputs, this lowers our costs and helps increase our family income, helping me send my children get education and I was able to get more land.
    "
    Gavara Mansigh Katara
    Organic Cotton Farmer , Madhya Pradesh, India

  • "
    We need to work together so that we can sustain things. Organic cotton shouldn’t be the thing of a single strain of yarn because this is the effort of a great deal of work and effort. Organic cotton is not just a single seed put into the ground, it has to do with the earth, and it is the embodiment of the work of thousands of people.
    "
    Dr. Başak Egesel
    Head of Good Agricultural Practices and Organic Agriculture Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye

  • "
    The most important thing is the selection of seeds. This is a job women do. We clean the soil properly so it’s not damaged. Women carefully harvest the cotton as men do it very haphazardly.
    "
    Aisha Alam
    Farmer, Punjab, Pakistan

  • "
    Systemic problems require collective action and remediation. Social integrity and organic integrity need to go together — traceability and data collection do not replace human rights due diligence.
    "
    Burcu Kuğu
    Vice President of Innovation, Fair Labor Association

  • "
    What would help farmers convert to organic is if they knew the income they will have. It depends on yield and production of course. But at the end of the day, farmers should know how much they will make.
    "
    İbrahim Şirin
    Farmer , Aegean Region

  • "
    There's no such thing as cost-neutral sustainability. Listen to the farmers and the workers and strive for real shared responsibility, including costs — not only imposing compliance requirements.
    "
    Tobias Meier
    Global Product Manager for Cotton and Textiles, Fairtrade International

  • "
    If there's soil there's life and if the soil is healthy, human beings are healthy.
    "
    Dr. Başak Egesel
    Head of Good Agricultural Practices and Organic Agriculture Department , Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye

  • "
    Both recycled content and sustainably-sourced renewable materials are two sides of the same coin to reach circularity in the textile industry. We need SSRM to reach circularity targets set by the European Union
    "
    Romane Malysza
    Public Affairs Lead, Textile Exchange

  • "
    I’m the fifth generation of cotton growers. It’s an immense pride to represent my ancestors and my family but also all the community that works with cotton. It’s important to say we don’t just grow cotton. We intercrop it. Cotton helps us bring back dignity and income and we learn with nature to live with adversity. We don’t work with irrigation, and I come from a semi-arid region, so we know the value of each raindrop.
    "
    Suzana Aguiar
    Farmer and Representative , Borborema Agroecology Network

  • "
    Regulation is an opportunity to foster shared responsibility and engagement, not merely a compliance exercise.
    "
    Andrea Schill
    Senior Policy Analyst, OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct

  • "
    Brands should be fully aware of what’s going on across the value chain, especially at the farm level. They should gather data and based upon that they can make a plan and go to the farmer knowing what the problems are
    "
    Dr. Uygun Aksoy
    Chairperson of the Executive Board , Association of Ecological Agriculture Organization

  • "
    Organic is the solution to better climate, biodiversity and water conservation.
    "
    Paul Holmbeck
    World Board Member , IFOAM Organics - International

  • "
    Organic cotton has enormous potential, but potential does not scale on its own. It scales through trust, collaboration, long-term commitment, and shared responsibility across the value chain. That work belongs to all of us in the room.
    "
    Ashley Gill
    Chief Standards and Strategy Officer, Textile Exchange

  • "
    Farmland is a single, living organism — working in harmony with biological and ecological cycles rather than against them. Soil health affects water availability, water availability affects biodiversity, and biodiversity affects the resilience of the land. And that resilience is directly connected to farmer livelihoods. The organic cotton sector should work like a farm ecosystem. And when you look around this room, that ecosystem is here. Farmers, brands, certifiers, manufacturers, advocates, and partners — each part of the system, together in one place. And when the right relationships are there — when trust, knowledge, demand, and commitment reinforce one another — the whole system becomes stronger. But if too much risk sits with farmers, that foundation becomes unstable.
    "
    Bart Vollaard
    Executive Director, Organic Cotton Accelerator

Voices from the Organic Cotton Summit

Participants share their key insights, reflections, and takeaways from two days of conversations in Istanbul.

Event gallery

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