Organic Farming & Fibres ~ Our Cotton Process
Healthy, thriving ecosystems.
Let us introduce you to the process behind our organic cotton fibres.
The team met with organic cotton farmers who explained the traditional practices used to grow the cotton without the use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides. This included attracting beneficial insects that destroy the pests that attack the plants.
They achieve this by planting specific species that the beneficial insects feed off. Other natural insect repellents include Papaya, Datura, Calotrapis and Neem.
They use a variety of nutrients to enrich the soil such as compost, vermicompost and Neem cake. They also use green manures, mixed crop sewing and crop rotation to manage the fertility of the soil.
These practices not only protect the fine balance of the natural eco system but improve the quality and the yield of the cotton.
The farmers are part of Fair Trade organic cotton which promotes agriculture, social economic development and environmental safety. Positively impacting the lives of many disadvantaged producers and labourers.
The cotton is harvested before ginning.
The team visited the ginning facility where the cotton is cleaned before separating the fibres from the seeds. The seeds are distributed to Fair Trade Project Farmers and lint is delivered to the spinning mill.
At the spinning mill the lint is cleaned before going into a machine that combs and straightens the fibres forming a soft rope called a sliver. The fibres from the sliver are then spun up to 2,500 revolutions a second to create yarn.
The finished yarn is transported to another mill for weaving where the yarns are woven into fabrics on machines called looms. The looms work by interlacing the warp (length-wise) and weft (across-wise) yarns at a rapid speed.
The woven fabric is then sent to another facility for dyeing and finishing before being made into beautiful garments.