Truly Aware

Farm To Yarn

Volcom's Certified traceable organic cotton program, benefiting farmers and their communities

We followed 27 tons of certified organic cotton from seed to garment in order to deliver you traceable, farm to yarn products

Volcom, in partnership with the social enterprise CottonConnect, is launching Farm to Yarn – a socially conscious raw materials initiative in India that features certified organic cotton that’s traceable back to the farm and that provides social and professional education programs for the farmers and the women in the farming villages of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, where the cotton was sourced.

Farm To Yarn

Initial Results

 

Certified fully traceable-to the-farmer, organic cotton from 8 different villages were produced.

 

Enrolled in a year-long organic ‘farming skills’ program, focusing on natural pest control and organic fertilizers.

 

Farmers and beneficiaries associated with the farming villages, enrolled in an educational program focused on Women’s Rights and Life Skills.

 

Enrolled in Farmer Business School training program offering lessons on business fundamentals.

Improving farming communities' quality of life while improving the quality of our planet

Supply Chain Transparency

  • Conventional ways of making clothes can be a dirty business.
  • Volcom is combating dirty business by growing its commitment to a transparent supply chain.
  • Volcom joined forces with CottonConnect to provide organic farming training, farmer business training, and women’s empowerment programs in rural India where we source fully traceable organic cotton for our Farm To Yarn garments.

Supply Chain Transparency

  • Conventional ways of making clothes can be a dirty business.
  • Volcom is combating dirty business by growing its commitment to a transparent supply chain.
  • Volcom joined forces with CottonConnect to provide organic farming training, farmer business training, and women’s empowerment programs in rural India where we source fully traceable organic cotton for our Farm To Yarn garments.

In addition to the social impact benefits, the program features integrity components as well, such as:

  • GMO testing to ensure seeds are GMO-free
  • Tracking of tested seed to farmer, ensuring tested seeds are planted
  • Linking of farmers to the ginner, ginner to the spinner, spinner to the fabric mill for supply chain transparency

Organic Farming

  • Making clothes contributes to the devastating effects of climate change.
  • Volcom is combating climate change and the impacts of making clothes by committing to truly traceable organic cotton.
  • Farm To Yarn organic cotton farmers use self-made compost, manure, and natural pest control.
  • These practices help decrease costs, increase yields, and double the farmers’ profits.
  • Improving farming communities’ quality of life while improving the quality of our planet.

Organic Farming

  • Making clothes contributes to the devastating effects of climate change.
  • Volcom is combating climate change and the impacts of making clothes by committing to truly traceable organic cotton.
  • Farm To Yarn organic cotton farmers use self-made compost, manure, and natural pest control.
  • These practices help decrease costs, increase yields, and double the farmers’ profits.
  • Improving farming communities’ quality of life while improving the quality of our planet.

Organic cotton is better for the planet and its people. When compared to conventional cotton, organic cotton per 1,000 KG of fiber used in apparel results in:

  • 46% less COequivalent emissions (which are significant contributors to global warming)
  • 70% less SO(Sulfur Dioxide) equivalent emissions; a driver of soil acidification and, thus acid rain
  • 26% less PO4(Phosphate) equivalent; a measure of eutrophication potential (the potential for the creation of aquatic dead-zones)
  • 62% less primary energy demand (PED), measured in MJ, from non-renewable sources like petroleum and natural gas that depend on fossil resources
  • The consumption of up to 91% less non-rain water (blue water) while typically requiring less irrigation

Business Training

  • Making clothes often leaves farmers exploited.
  • Volcom is putting itself in check and combatting this exploitation by joining forces with CottonConnect to educate farmers in rural India.
  • Our Farm To Yarn organic cotton program provides organic farming education and business training to help farmers grow more sustainably and double their profits.
  • Volcom is helping to improve the quality of life for the planet and its people.

Business Training

  • Making clothes often leaves farmers exploited.
  • Volcom is putting itself in check and combatting this exploitation by joining forces with CottonConnect to educate farmers in rural India.
  • Our Farm To Yarn organic cotton program provides organic farming education and business training to help farmers grow more sustainably and double their profits.
  • Volcom is helping to improve the quality of life for the planet and its people.

“Partnership has been the key word used to describe the success of this launch. Without good partners on the ground, a program like this rarely stands a chance.”

-Big Tony Alvarez, Volcom’s VP of Global of Compliance and Supply Chain

Women’s Empowerment

  • Conventional ways of making clothes often leaves women stuck in adversity.
  • Volcom is combating adversity by joining forces with CottonConnect to educate women in rural India.
  • Farm To Yarn organic cotton workers receive training to increase women’s wages, health, nutrition, and safety.

Women’s Empowerment

  • Conventional ways of making clothes often leaves women stuck in adversity.
  • Volcom is combating adversity by joining forces with CottonConnect to educate women in rural India.
  • Farm To Yarn organic cotton workers receive training to increase women’s wages, health, nutrition, and safety.

“We are truly proud of this program as it embodies both environmental and social benefits. In addition, it represents another strategic milestone in our never-ending mission to be True To This planet.”

-Ryan Immegart, Volcom’s Chief Marketing Officer

Farm To Yarn

Organic Tees

 

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