Global organic cotton market at 3.2 billion $ in 2008

Global retail sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products reached an estimated 3.2 billion $ in 2008, according to the Organic Cotton Market Report 2007-2008, which has just been released by Organic Exchange. This represents a 63 % increase from the 1.9 billion $ market in 2007. The top ten organic cotton-using brands and retailers globally were Wal-Mart (USA), C&A (Belgium), Nike (USA), H&M (Sweden), Zara (Spain), Anvil (USA), Coop Switzerland, Pottery Barn (USA), Greensource (USA), and Hess Natur (Germany). Despite the global retail outlook, most brands and retailers selling organic cotton products remain committed to their sustainability plans and upbeat about market growth with plans to expand their product lines 24 % and 33 % in 2009 and 2010 respectively, to result in an estimated 4 billion $ market in 2009 and a 5.3 billion $ market in 2010, as reported on PRWeb.

The amount of organic cotton farmers increased by 152 % worldwide in 2007/08, according to Organic Exchange's Organic Cotton Farm and Fiber Report 2008. Organic cotton production increased to 145,872 metric tons grown on 161,000 hectares in 22 countries worldwide (from 57,932 metric tons produced in 2006/07). Organic Exchange notes that during 2008, certified organic cotton fibre supplies grew by 95 %, significantly higher than annual growth rates of 45 % in 2006 and 53 % in 2007. "Farmers who planted on speculation or expanded without market partners may have shifted the market into a state of oversupply in 2009," says LaRhea Pepper, Organic Exchange senior director, who strongly discourages farmers from taking this kind of risk. "Brands may want to explore opportunities for expanding their organic programs with their business partners," she continued, "as for the first time in many years, supplies of organic fibre, yarns, and fabrics are more available than in previous years."

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