At Blue Illusion, we are always weaving our thoughts past the needle and thread, to improve the way we do things. That although we love fashion, we acknowledge that it’s also not fully sustainable. In light of these lingering thoughts, we are constantly seeking how to be a little less impactful and improve our practices.
We were thrilled to discover Good Earth Cotton®, a climate positive cotton program, developed and grown right on our home soil. What we liked about them was that they practiced what they preached, using regenerative farming techniques to produce cotton that sequestered more carbon than was emitted in the entire cotton growth lifecycle.
By turning to agriculture as a means to improving our processes, we could start learning how to do more.
Why We Partnered With Good Earth Cotton®
Australian grown and owned by 4th generation cotton farmers, Good Earth Cotton® produce climate positive, audited, and responsibly grown cotton. Their mission? To heal the earth through carbon positive production practices - starting with the soil.
After spending the better part of 10 years looking for ways to observe environmental well-being within our own global supply chain, we took the plunge with Good Earth Cotton®. The very idea of minimising our carbon footprint, maximising soil health, and upholding our community values, was something we were truly excited about.
So, we got educated. We started reframing our thoughts around agriculture and the way our best-selling Bengajean® was being made. We let go of some of our old processes and instead, bounced back wearing a different set of lenses: starting from the ground up.
How It Works
We learnt that the key to creating ethical cotton depended on the condition of the soil in which it grows from. That it requires a healthy relationship between plant-life and the soil: to lay the groundwork for healthy farming.
Simply put, when the soil is left on its own to grow and flourish through photosynthesis, carbon is captured under the soil to keep this farming process protected and able to be stabilised on its own. This means that an ecological flow of life such as fungi, earthworms, and healthy bacteria can flourish and thrive freely within the soil. As the soil is being left to do its part and natural vegetation is preserved, the soil creates its own steady stream of ‘carbon credit’, ready to plant carbon positive cotton. This means cultivating better fibres for our Bengajean® brand in a more thoughtful and honest way.
How Healthy Soil Is Measured and Protected
Good Earth Cotton® smart farming works on a harvest-by-harvest basis for the entire farming operation, through efficient practices for healthy cotton production. This relies on a certain amount of factors that must meet certain levels of sustainability. They include factors such as:
- enhancing soil health: through seasonal crop rotation, minimum tillage, natural pest management, organically composted waste, and pasture biodiversity
- water efficiency, saving on water use by up to 50%
- using solar power and renewable energy
- third-party audited
- committed to fair, ethical work and community values.
The good news? In addition to this testing system, growers are presented with additional value for their fibre, which improves their rural livelihoods and therefore their communities. It’s a system that works on being kind to the people and planet first, before the consumer. By honouring everything from the ground to the garment.
How Authentic Are Good Earth Cotton®
In keeping with our level of transparency, Good Earth Cotton® also makes sure it is third party audited by Carbon Friendly, utilising an Australian developed but internationally accredited (ISO14064-2) best practice methodology, aligned with the Greenhouse gas protocol (GHG), an honest way to mitigate climate change and measure quantify greenhouse gas emissions. Read more about these standards here.
Did You Know?
Blue Illusion has longstanding relationships with our suppliers, and we pride ourselves on committing to a collective future with them. This includes upholding sustainable practices and creating a foundation within which our own community can flourish. Click here to learn more.
Visit our Good Earth Cotton® page now to learn more.
