Fashion for Good partners with Arvind Limited for pilot project

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jan 28, 2021

Fashion for Good has joined forces with textile manufacturer Arvind Limited to launch a two-year pilot project utilise resource-efficient cotton farming technology provided by Materra to reform cotton farming.

 
Materra, formerly known as ‘HydroCotton’, has received an equity investment from Fashion for Good, as well as financial backing from Arvind Limited, Kering, and PVH Corp and will pilot a new program for resource efficient cotton farming, Fashion for Good announced in a press release. Fashion for Good aims to achieve 100% sustainable cotton by 2025.
 
The project will leverage Arvind’s local knowledge and network to set up a 1.5 hectare farm in Gujarat. The farm will be used to grow extra long staple cotton, often used in high-end products, with the aim of producing three tonnes of the fabric by the end of the pilot. The textiles will be divided amongst backers Arvind, Kering, and PVH Corp to produce garments that will be commercially available from 2023. 

“38% of the fashion industry’s carbon footprint lies with raw materials production, preparation and processing, innovations in this area such as radically resource efficient cotton farming, a staple fibre for the industry, is hugely important,” said Fashion for Good’s managing director Katrin Ley in a press release.

“This consortium pilot project brings together unique expertise from across the supply chain to pilot and ultimately scale this solution in key regions.” 
 
“We see Materra’s solution as playing an integral role in our future sourcing strategy,” said Arvind Limited’s head of sustainability Abhishek Bansal in a press release.

“Their technology combines precision agriculture and controlled environments to create a radically resource efficient cotton farm. This results in reductions in water, land use and carbon emissions, as well as pesticide removal. We are excited to be collaborating with our fellow Fashion for Good partners on this consortium project and look forward to scaling this solution in our supply chain.”