In recent months, we have been hearing a lot about "organic in conversion." It's a term that until now was completely unknown to most of the market.
.
How does organic certification work?
Simply put, there is a transition period of 10 years from the time cotton is planted organically until it is officially considered organic cotton. Or, more directly, if I start producing organic cotton today, it will take 10 years before I receive organic certification. Until then, the cotton I produce will be considered conventional production.
.
What does "organic in conversion" mean?
As explained earlier, "organic in conversion" means that this cotton is not yet fully converted. In other words, it means that it has not yet been 10 years since the start of the conversion to organic.
.
At what age is cotton considered in conversion?
The answer is simple and direct. From 3 years onward, cotton can be considered "in conversion" to organic.
.
Why organic in conversion?
Here it's not as straightforward. In fact, there are many reasons why the initiative was taken to rebrand to this name.
Put simply and somewhat reductively, the bad weather has significantly reduced cotton production. Whether it's torrential rains in some parts of the globe or extreme drought in others, it's been terrible for the cotton industry, with harvest levels well below demand in international markets.
.
As we know, if cotton production drops significantly while demand remains high, prices rise considerably, and solutions need to be found.
.
Anticipating organic certification has been one of those solutions.
If there hadn't been the option to obtain a new certification, it was highly likely that there would no longer be organic cotton available in the market.
Not that this new certification has stopped the price increase; it has continued to rise steadily.
.
