The Danish fashion brand for men’s clothing Jack & Jones relies on cotton straight from the farm.
By 2023, more than 25 percent of the organic cotton used will be traceable from farm to finished garment, Jack & Jones announced on Tuesday. Most of the cotton, which has a direct-to-farm approach, is to be used for the brand’s never-out-of-stock program, which the bestseller subsidiary says accounts for about half of the brand’s total sales.
Last year, the brand used 1,500 tons of cotton lint from various direct-to-farm programs for various never-out-of-stock styles. “We estimate that the total will increase to more than 6600 tonnes of lint by 2023. That corresponds to 18.5 million cotton T-shirts,” says Gregory Simsick, NOOS Supply Chain Manager at Jack & Jones.
“Direct-to-Farm” approach
With the “direct-to-farm” approach, Bestseller wants to secure a market for organic and transitional cotton. Last year, the group saw its organic cotton share fall from 21 percent to 11 percent. Now the company, which, in addition to Jack & Jones, also includes Vero Moda and Only, has set itself the goal of increasing this number again.
Organic cotton sourcing has been a challenge in recent years and has confirmed that a dedicated direct-to-farm approach is needed to improve numbers this year, the release said. The direct-to-farm approach will be expanded with various partners, including the Organic Cotton Accelerator organization in India and CmiA Organic in Africa, as well as long-standing suppliers such as Bossa and Calik in Turkey and Artistic Milliners in Pakistan.
“Direct-to-Farm is about more than just securing the supply of organic cotton. It’s also about supporting farmers and improving their livelihoods – for the benefit of the entire local community,” says Danique Lodewijks, Senior Project Specialist at Bestseller.