Gallant International Invests in Farmers to Boost Transparency of Its Organic Cotton Products
Fashion B Corp Sees Regenerative Organic Certification As a Tool for Transformation
Fashion companies are no stranger to the belief that image is everything. And amid growing concerns about their environmental and social impact, some fashion companies are making changes: incorporating more sustainable materials, reviewing and improving worker conditions and wages, and encouraging consumers to repair or resell apparel they no longer want.
Some of these efforts continue to fall short, as reflected in a recent New York Times article that reveals the challenges of confirming that organic cotton is actually organic. To learn more about the challenges of the organic cotton industry and the movement toward sustainability in fashion, I talked with Vikrant Giri, Founder of Gallant International and its subsidiary brand, Terra Thread, which specialize in bags and accessories made of organic cotton. Gallant is a Certified B Corporation and has worked with one of India’s most well-known organic cotton co-ops to transition more than 700 farmers to regenerative organic cotton.
While Giri credits the media with drawing attention to the fashion industry’s negative impacts — climate change and human rights among them — he also says it’s important to acknowledge the changes that companies like Gallant International are making in pursuit of more sustainable practices and materials.
“There is no system that is 100% perfect, but I’ve found it’s better to get involved directly with your farmers. Support them. It might cost a little more, but it will add tremendous value to your investment,” he says.
In our conversation, Giri shared how regenerative farming practices help create numerous benefits and boost farmers’ likelihood of success. He also goes on to say that working with farmers directly may actually be the best way to keep organic cotton organic. Through his work with the Regenerative Organic Alliance — founded by the Rodale Institute, Patagonia, and Dr. Bronner’s —Giri is a pioneer in helping transform how cotton is farmed across India, one of the largest cotton growing regions in the world. He told me he hopes that the alliance-developed Regenerative Organic Certification will help bring more scrutiny to an industry that’s growing despite its lack of transparency.
Tell me a bit about the history of Gallant International. When and why did you start the company? How has it grown as more consumers seek organic cotton products? And could you also tell us about your brand Terra Thread?
Vikrant Giri: I started Gallant International in 2009 because I wanted financial freedom for me and my family. I also wanted to help artisans back in Nepal where I was born, and in India where almost all my family members lived and worked. The business has grown nearly every year, with the exception of 2020 when COVID-19 emerged. In 2019 our business grew by almost 100%; 2020 was less only by about 20% despite all lockdowns. But we did see a growth of more than 30% last year.
Terra Thread is getting some good recognition right now because it is the only backpack and bag brand that specializes in bags made from Fairtrade organic cotton canvas and made in a Fairtrade certified factory. Most of the backpacks and bags in the market are made from fossil fuel-based polyester and nylon. Many corporations are trying to stay away from fossil fuel-based polyester and nylon, so we are seeing a lot of growth in the corporate gift sector.
How did you learn about, and get involved with, the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) and its certification program?
Giri: I heard about the ROA — a group of farmers, business leaders, and experts in soil health — through my involvement with the agriculture-focused nonprofit Rodale Institute. Then I heard even more about it through pioneering brands such as Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s that helped set up the ROA. Plus, I had been working with organic growers in India who have followed standard regenerative practices for quite a long time, so I was already somewhat familiar with the topic.
You see, when I was growing up in Nepal the vegetables I ate were always grown using regenerative farming practices. Simply adding a pinch of salt and green chili powder would make them taste delicious. But here in the United States, even though my family tries to eat organic as much as possible, the vegetables we eat every day are fairly tasteless despite adding a lot of spices. One day I was listening to Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, and he mentioned that regeneratively grown foods taste much better than organic because they have a lot more nutrients. That was the “aha moment” for me.
How does the regenerative organic program incorporate and build positive impact along the whole supply chain?
Giri: Growing organic foods and fiber is important: GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and fossil fuel-based carbon intensive fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are all banned from organic farming practices. And this is all great, but the standard organic certification doesn’t even begin to dive into the specific farming practices that protect and build soil health, promote biodiversity, conserve fresh water, or ensure the welfare of animals. It touches on a few of these practices in its guidance documents, but it doesn’t require any of it.
To compare, take a look at what the ROA has developed. A Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) is a new certification for food, textiles, and personal-care ingredients that requires an organic certification on top of a more rigorous set of requirements for its farming practices. That’s what’s great about ROC: It takes its required farming practices much further on the sustainability spectrum and looks at the entire farming system holistically. ROC farms and products must meet standards in what I like to call the holy grail of farm sustainability: soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness.
The ROC is set up in three certification steps: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. That way farmers have the time to build their practices. Requiring rotational crops and intercropping brings in extra income for the farmers. Agroforestry practices support local ecosystems and form barriers from nearby conventional farms. And minimal tilling prevents disruption to soil biodiversity and helps build soil and retain more water. This is key during monsoons and droughts, which are becoming more and more unpredictable in the subcontinent.
In addition, training farmers in regenerative practices build their resilience to climate change. Fairtrade premiums support much-needed community projects such as access to clean water, training for natural pest control, and other health and education-related projects.
And these cotton farmers who have already shifted to organic farming told me that their family’s health is better today because they are not using synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides anymore and are thus living healthier lives. Now with regenerative farming, their foods will be even more nutritious for them and allow them to continue on this lifestyle for their families and children.
Why are programs like this crucial for the expansion of organic farming practices?
Giri: Farmers are becoming more and more vulnerable because of climate change. Unpredictable weather events — droughts, more frequent heavy rains — are creating a situation where farmers do not know when they can plant their crops. It is affecting their yields and ultimately their income and livelihood. In India, we’ve even heard that wild animals like elephants are coming out of the jungles and stomping through farms looking for water and food that are now scarce due to climate change.
Farmer food insecurity is also happening. This is where the price of food spikes up because of weather or other climate-related disasters, making it difficult for farmers to feed their families on an already precarious budget.
Organic and regenerative organic farming will help farmers become more resilient in the face of climate disaster. Many of the benefits I mentioned have given them hope and a fighting chance.
How do you plan to work with partners like Chetna Organic, a farmer-owned organization, to encourage more farmers to adopt ROC practices as an alternative to GMO cotton?
Giri: Chetna Organic is a pioneer in organic farming and has been expanding over the years. This company is led by the visionary and dedicated Arun Ambatipudi, who is executive director, and CEO Nanda Kumar. Established in 2004 with 234 farmers, Chetna now works with more than 10,000 farmers to grow organic cotton across India.
I would attribute their success to how they work directly with their farmers. They provide tools and training, help them buy organic cotton seeds, buy their cotton immediately after harvest, pay them an organic and Fairtrade premium, help generate extra income through intercropping, and they guarantee purchase of their crops. This type of partnership will help join more farmers together and grow the movement. This is all possible due to companies like Gallant that support their efforts.
In addition, I’d like to invite brands here in the U.S. that are committed to sustainable practices and want to help bring about more transparency and equity in the cotton supply chain to join us by working directly with farmers, and specifically with this group of ROC farmers in the Chetna co-op. If more fashion brands put their investment in the supply chain and commit to buying from regenerative growers, we can truly transform how cotton is grown in India. For smaller mission-driven brands, this could be a real win-win because they don’t have to personally manage a complicated global supply chain; instead, we can help facilitate that with this existing infrastructure and they can act upon their values of sustainability with a very small investment.
A version of this article was originally published at https://www.forbes.com. B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
