Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) purchased more than 12 million pounds of cotton from farmers who are in the process of transitioning to organic practices. The mega-retailer said it paid the same price it would have paid for certified organic cotton, in an attempt to support the environmentally friendly market.
"Wal-Mart’s support of transitional cotton stems from our understanding of the financial implications for farmers who adopt labor-intensive organic farming methods and complements our commitment to eco-friendly products and sustainable supplier practices," said Kim Brandner, Wal-Mart’s brand manager for sustainable products.
The transitional cotton will be used to make Earth Month t-shirts and other products under Wal-Mart’s Faded Glory brand, the company said. And additional products made with the cotton will appear on Wal-Mart shelves in the months ahead.
Wal-Mart purchased the cotton from approximately 1,000 farmers, whose fields are not yet fully transitioned to organic certification due to chemicals lingering in the soil.
Farmers who have adopted organic practices typically harvest transitioning crops for up to three years, the company said, emphasizing that its commitment for the cottone arriving in the month of April alone has saved more than six tons of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides from entering the earth.
"To grow the organic cotton industry, we need to support the farmers who are moving from conventional to organic farming," says LaRhea Pepper, Executive Director of the Organic Cotton Exchange and organic cotton supplier to Wal-Mart. "Crop yields are typically lower and risks higher during the transition, so farmers are at financial risk. Programs like Wal-Mart’s help lessen the burden of farmers who want to adopt environmentally responsible practices."
According to the Organic Cotton Exchange, for the second year in a row, Wal-Mart is the largest user of organic cotton in the world, having purchased more than 28 million pounds of organic cotton and an additional 12 million pounds of transitional cotton to date.
Alternative and organic fiber apparel and home products sales at Wal-Mart have increased by nearly 100% from 2006 to 2007 — a trend that has continued into 2008. As a result, Wal-Mart will feature Faded Glory attitude t-shirts made of transitional cotton in the newborn, infant, toddler, boys, girls, missy and men’s departments for the month of April, ranging in price from $3.50 to $6.00.
Beginning April 2008, Wal-Mart stores will also feature men’s Athletic Works t-shirts made of recycled polyester. Every pound of recycled polyester saves 61,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs), which is the same energy output as half a gallon of gas. Based on anticipated sales, the energy savings impact for April alone would be the equivalent of 800,000 gallons of gas, the company said..
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