Eco-friendly cotton catches consumers’ fancy

nna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 7

Desi cotton grown on rainfed farms and dyed with flower-extracted colours, desi seeds that adorn the cotton thread bands — all these are suggestive of ecological concerns and eco-sensitiveness.

Going by the buying behaviour of the people from industrial cities like Ludhiana and Jalandhar, there seems to be an increasing ecological awareness. Traditional cotton grown by small landholders across the cotton belt of India on rainfed farms are finding buyers in these commercial cities. “When you wear this garment, you can be sure that it is the lightest garment possible, both in its environmental sense and fair-trade sense. Chemical dyes are killing rivers. The CO2 emission of each synthetic/chemical-laced garment we sport is 50 times the weight of the garment,” is the refrain of the eco-conscious customers who buy garments brought by a not-for-profit social enterprise.

A Chennai-based social enterprise works to revive and encourage rainfed organic desi cotton and the rich traditions of hand spinning and hand weaving, thereby ensuring that the whole cotton value chain is ethical and eco-friendly. As a member of the enterprise puts it, “Those earning their livelihoods across the value chain are paid fair remuneration, thus empowering local and rural economy. Caring for the Earth and farmers, spinners, weavers and tailors is at the core of this social enterprise.”

“The yarn is handspun by skilled khadi workers and coloured with natural dyes, while fabric is woven on handlooms by master weavers, with garments stitched by women and men from economically and socially marginalised groups,” said Jyoti Kharbanda from Ludhiana.