Some people think that organic clothing is only for environmental fanatics. Is that really the case? Let's hear from clothing brands and retailers that have already profited from it.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
It was six years ago when David Basson received a call from Walmart, a call that every manufacturer dreams of.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
As the company's CEO, Mr. Basson's Green Source Organic Clothing Company had recently shipped a batch of yoga tops to Sam's Club, a warehouse store branch of Walmart. At first, Sam's Club buyers merely wanted to use this Seattle clothing manufacturer's organic concept to attach an eco-label to the supermarket's products. They did not think this batch of clothing would sell much better than conventionalfabrics.However, within just three weeks, all 200,000 yoga tops were sold out. When Walmart headquarters executives heard about this, they immediately decided to approach Basson's company.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
Speaking of that time, Basson still remembers it vividly. “Mr. Lee Scott, Walmart's CEO at the time, instructed his people to call us and ask us to come talk with him.” So Basson and several partners took a long flight of more than 1,600 miles to Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. Basson had not expected that in less than five years since the company was founded, he would already have the opportunity to enter the president's meeting room of Walmart, the global retail chain giant, and hold talks with some of the world's most influential executives. He recalled, “At the time, we sat face to face with Mr. Scott, with other Walmart executives beside him. It was truly a very interesting meeting.” It was a destinedcooperation.A few weeks later, Basson shipped 800,000 organic cotton baby onesies (baby garments fastened together with snaps) to Walmart stores. Soon after, Walmart called again with another order, this time for organic bed sheets and organic towels. Before long, the famous department store chain Macy's also became interested in Green Source's organic clothing, followed by Sears, Kohl's...文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
Today, Green Source Organic Clothing Company has grown into the world's eighth-largest organic clothing manufacturer, with annual revenue exceeding $500 million. Basson firmly believes that as major clothing retailers pay increasingly more attention to organic clothing, it is only a matter of time before organic clothing becomes mainstream. (Here, the specific definition of “organic” refers to cotton produced entirely naturally and without pollution from seed to agricultural product, without using any fertilizers or pesticides containing chemical substances.) “Consumers are fully aware of the environmental problems we face and also want to join the ranks of protecting the Earth's ecology,” Basson said. “Once they choose organic clothing, they become unwavering supporters and will not go back.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
Perhaps you may think: as an organic clothing manufacturer, of course Basson would spare no effort in promoting the prospects of organic clothing. It is indeed understandable to think so, but a large amount of data has already told us that the organic clothing business Basson is engaged in is truly a remarkable big business. Perhaps not long ago, at the mention of organic clothing, people would immediately associate it with the hippie image of the Woodstock era - tying hemp-cottonbelts, wearing Birkenstock closed-toe shoes, and crunching on their favorite granola, using this to advertise their natural and environmentally friendly lifestyle. This scene was once popular in that era, but it has long since departed from the reality of organic clothing today.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
According to data from the Organic Cotton Transaction Association, an international organic textile organization, during 2008-2009, due to the impact of the global economic recession, U.S. household spending on clothing and domestic textiles was cut by 7 percentage points, while organic cotton sales grew at a double-digit rate, specifically 35%. In fact, since 2001, the average annual sales growth rate of organic cotton over nearly a decade has remained at around 40%. Currently, the global output value of organic clothing is about $4.3 billion, and next year, that is, 2011, this figure will reach $6 billion.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
Admittedly, if we consider that the total value of clothing sold annually in the United States alone is as high as $188 billion, organic clothing is merely a drop in the bucket. Some may therefore think that organic clothing is just a special hobby of certain environmental fanatics. Then should these doubters recall that just a few years ago, the rise of organic food also suffered the same skepticism? In 2000, organic food was still only a small industry worth $6 billion, while last year Americans spent as much as $24 billion on organic food. “Compared with organic food, the development of organic clothing has lagged by about ten years,” said Larry Peppel, an organic cotton farmer with 50 hectares of land outside Lubbock County, Texas. “I have been growing organic cotton for 20 years. In the 1990s, very few brands truly took organic clothing seriously. Now, 75 large clothing brands and retailers are all engaged in this industry.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/
Peppel is absolutely right. Since 2005, most major clothing companies have joined the ranks of producing organic clothing, including globally renowned brands such as Levi's, Adidas, and Nike, as well as many top clothing retailers, such as H&M, Target, Nordstrom, Gap, and of course Walmart, which was mentioned earlier. As Katrina Conti, executive vice president of Anwil Knitwear, a clothing wholesaler, said: “Over the past five years, we have indeed found that people firmly support organic clothing, so it is time for clothing companies to take action and join this organic trend. This year people's enthusiasm for organic cotton can be said to be unprecedented.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11273/