Increasing the share of more sustainable cotton sourced for our products is one of the key objectives of Marimekko’s sustainability work. To achieve this, we source mainly Better Cotton, and on a seasonal basis we also use organic or recycled cotton. Marimekko was the first Finnish company to join the international Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in 2013, and since then we have continuously increased the share and volume of Better Cotton sourced.
In 2019, Marimekko’s sourcing of Better Cotton reached an all-time high with 995 metric tonnes of Better Cotton sourced, representing 88 per cent of all the cotton used by Marimekko – up from 748 tonnes and 64 per cent in 2018. Based on the Better Cotton Leaderboard results in 2018, this achievement puts Marimekko among the only seven BCI member brands out of a total of 92, who are sourcing more than 75 per cent of their cotton as Better Cotton, as well as among the fastest movers in increasing their sourcing volumes for Better Cotton.
The Better Cotton Initiative trains farmers to care for the environment and respect workers’ rights and wellbeing. Although Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, the BCI farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in volumes equivalent to those we source. In 2019, an estimated 565 million litres of water were saved and BCI farmers benefited from an estimated 165 thousand euros additional profit* thanks to our sourcing of Better Cotton. Our investment in the BCI enabled approximately 730 farmers to implement the Better Cotton Standard and Better Cotton to be grown on over 1,200 hectares of land. In total Better Cotton accounts for around 19 per cent of global cotton production.
In addition to aiming at increasing the share of more sustainable cotton sourced for our products, Marimekko is committed to increasing the share of other more sustainable raw materials used both in products and packaging. This means e.g. supporting research projects related to developing new, more sustainable wood-based fibres and reducing the amount of plastic used in packaging.
Read more about our sustainability work.
*BCI Farmers experience profit increases for a variety of reasons, most commonly due to increased yields and/or optimised use of inputs (such as irrigation water, pesticides or synthetic fertiliser).
