TEXTILES.ORG
The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) and Textile Exchange co-hosted the Organic Cotton Summit June 2-4 in Istanbul, Türkiye, at the Marriott Hotel Şişli.
The summit featured speakers and experts from across the global cotton value chain, and the Organic Cotton Pavilion hosted by OCA, which highlighted organizations working in organic cotton production, certification, traceability and innovation.
“The organic cotton sector should work like a healthy farm ecosystem,” says Bart Vollaard, executive director, Organic Cotton Accelerator. “Every part has a role to play, and every part depends on the others. … But no ecosystem can thrive if too much risk sits with one group. If farmers carry a disproportionate share of the risk, the foundation becomes unstable. Our collective challenge is to build a system where responsibility, value, and risk are shared more fairly. Because organic cotton will only reach its potential if we strengthen the entire ecosystem, together.”
“Organic cotton has enormous potential, but potential does not scale on its own,” says Ashley Gill, chief standards and strategy officer, Textile Exchange. “It scales through trust, collaboration, long-term commitment, and shared responsibility across the value chain. That’s what the Organic Cotton Summit is about. Bringing together the people who can turn ambition into action and create the conditions for organic cotton to grow and thrive. The responsibility for that progress does not sit with any one organization or stakeholder. It belongs to all of us in this room.”
A recurring theme across sessions was the growing recognition that organic cotton is an important strategy for managing long-term risks facing the industry. Participants highlighted the interconnected challenges of climate adaptation, soil health, biodiversity, farmer livelihoods and sourcing security, emphasizing that progress will depend on coordinated action across the value chain.
Throughout the summit, participants explored practical approaches to accelerating progress, including unlocking investment for farming communities, leveraging data to drive climate and nature outcomes, strengthening traceability and transparency systems, preparing for evolving policy and due diligence requirements, and building trust across increasingly complex global supply systems. Discussions examined how compliance can be used not only to meet regulatory expectations but also to support more resilient, accountable and farmer-centered sourcing models.
The summit experience extended beyond the conference venue through a field visit to the organic cotton-growing region of Aydın, Türkiye. Hosted by OCA’s local partner, Akasya, the visit offered participants the opportunity to engage directly with farmers, visit organic cotton fields during the growing season, and tour a local ginning facility.