Good things don’t come easy

Here at Undercover, we love to protect the planet we live on by using sustainable fabrics like our 100% Organic Cotton for you to snuggle down in.

The hunt to source material of this high standard can be challenging as it’s rarer and more expensive to grow compared to “regular” cotton. Because global demand is low, many farmers can’t justify making such a costly investment if there’s no guarantee they’ll sell it all, especially as it takes time for this natural product to grow!

For businesses like ours that strive to make a difference, having these high standards is tough but worth it. We recently learned that restocking our new 100% Organic Cotton collection won’t be so easy… but not impossible.

What is it that makes Organic Cotton so damn good?

Research shows that Organic Cotton is significantly better for the environment as it reduces water consumption by a whopping 91% compared to regular cotton. Yet, it makes up a fraction of global production.

The Organic Cotton we use is Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified. This means the entire supply chain from the farm to the product must be accredited to meet strict standards, including environmental and social criteria.

So, what’s the holdup?

India produces 51% of all organic cotton globally, but last year, GOTS detected evidence of systematic organic cotton fraud in India, resulting in many suppliers being banned and major shortages of raw materials going forward.

The good news is that our existing Organic Cotton stock is still fully and correctly certified. That being said, it does mean we have to wait for the next cotton harvest before we can create new stock as existing verified Organic Cotton supplies are now very low.

This all goes to show how complex these supply chains are and why doing things in the best way by working with cotton that is truly organic AND high-quality is not simple.

Before our 100% Organic Cotton collection goes into hibernation, you can still buy our relaxed and crinkly Margot, Bill and Linus.

Image by Trisha Downing