Cotton Australia’s Cotton to Market team this week joined the team at “Gundaline” station in Griffith to showcase Australian cotton to French brand Lacoste.
Around 30 senior sustainability and sourcing executives were shown around the myBMP-certified operation, which has vastly improved its soil health and water use efficiency since being purchased by Customised Farm Management (CFM) in 2014. The property was recently acquired by an integrated textile business Smart Shirts, a supplier to Lacoste.
Cotton Australia’s Brooke Summers and Ashley Hollis, along with CFM’s Andrew Parkes and Richard Malone presented detailed information on the Australian cotton industry, quality, sustainability and human rights credentials and how we partner with brands.
“Visits like these help build relationships and confidence through the supply chain. Australian cotton is easy to sell due to its quality, however the story behind the production and sustainability is becoming equally important,” CFM CEO, Richard Malone said.
“As managers and farmers, gaining an understanding of what the consumer wants is invaluable and these types of visits heighten the importance of data integrity to support the Aussie cotton story.
"Undoubtedly in my mind, knowing the footprint of your production will lead to sourcing opportunities from high end retailers in the very near future."
Lacoste is a major user of cotton globally, and keen to trace cotton back to farm level so they can be confident in the sustainability and social credentials attached to their products.
“Brands are increasingly needing full transparency of their supply chains back to raw materials, as new legislation is introduced in France, the EU and other countries that require this data for market access,” Brooke said.
“As an industry we need to be ready, and it’s great to see our customers so passionate about Australian cotton.
"Gundaline is an outstanding example of sustainable, efficient cotton production and it was great to get to know the team of young farm managers and agronomists responsible this week."