H&M bemoans narrow focus on organic cotton

STOCKHOLM – Maintaining a narrow focus on organic cotton could prevent the development of a more sustainable cotton industry, claims H&M Group’s head of environmental sustainability, Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten. Discussing the fast fashion company’s cotton strategy on world cotton day, Strömblad Brännsten pointed out that organic cotton accounts for less than one per cent of the world’s cotton cultivation, and suggested “the possibilities to scale it up are unfortunately very limited. Therefore, to really make a difference, we must focus on scalable and realistic solutions that can push the whole industry in the right direction.”

She added: “Organic cotton yields smaller harvests and requires more land than conventional methods, while certification costs are also high. In addition, there is a shortage of quality seeds suitable for organic cotton.”