Organic Cotton Accelerator Grows to 100K Farmers

The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) made significant strides last year toward achieving its goal of promoting the growth of organic cotton worldwide.

According to the organization’s annual report, the initiative expanded into new regions such as Turkey, and scaled to include more than 100,000 farmer participants in its Farm Program across India, Pakistan and Turkey. Among those farmers, 36,000 are transitioning to organic agriculture. In its pilot year, five projects spanning 3,040 hectares (about 7,512 acres) brought 78 farmers in Turkey—the world’s second-largest organic cotton-producing country—under OCA’s purview.

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Farmers in OCA’s program produced more than 47,000 metric tons of organic cotton in 2024, with 92 percent of that fiber directly procured by the organization’s 18 brand partners, which include H&M Group, Zara parent Inditex, Eileen Fisher and others.

Last year, OCA introduced its first Decent Work Strategy, a multi-year initiative dedicated to improving labor conditions on organic cotton farms. The program targets issues such as child labor, fair wages, health and safety, and worker representation.

The organization also conducted its first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, which revealed region-specific environmental insights into organic cotton production in India. OCA said the information fills a critical data gap and offers the industry a more accurate foundation for decisions while also bringing credibility to sustainability claims.

Farmers weren’t the only stakeholders joining OCA’s mission last year. In 2024, OCA’s community of contributors and partners grew to more than 60 organizations that includes major apparel brands, textile manufacturers, farmer groups and civil society groups. Those partners worked toward alignment, data sharing, co-funding of field programs and upholding rigorous standards for the organic cotton industry.

The organization also continued working with its six seed partners to promote improved seed availability and quality. OCA has invested in seed innovation to help alleviate bottlenecks in organic cotton production by helping farmers access reliable seeds suited to their local conditions, reducing the risk of contamination from genetically modified cotton. Over the past year, OCA procured more than 89,000 metric tons of seed cotton.

OCA said it also has continued work to improve the payment process for member farms. in 2024, 40 percent of payments to members of the OCA farm program were delivered digitally, allowing farmers to receive money faster and improving transaction traceability and building farmer trust. And OCA farmers earned 8 percent more than market price on average premiums, as well as an 8-percent higher average total profit per hectare from organic cotton compared to conventional farmers.

Last fall, OCA partnered with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) for the #BehindtheSeams campaign, aimed at boosting organic fiber production. Through the collaboration, OCA worked with a number of organic-in-conversion farmers in India and Pakistan to provide resources such as capacity-building assistance, premium payments and market linkages.

“Our impact is only possible through partnership,’ said Bart Vollaard, executive director, OCA. “With more than 60 active contributors and partners, our global community reflects a shared belief in the long-term value of organic cotton, not just as a fiber, but as a force for positive change for people and for our planet.”