2020 Organic Cotton Round Table Virtual Summit Series

Head over to the OCRT HUB to access all recordings, presentations, and notes. Not an OCRT member yet? Sign up here.
Textile Exchange’s Organic Cotton Round Table (OCRT) is a global stakeholder platform that supports and brings together the organic cotton community to be inspired, mobilized, and equipped to act. Each year, we hold a Global OCRT Summit alongside Textile Exchange’s annual Textile Sustainability Conference, in addition to Regional OCRTs held throughout the year. For 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, these meetings were held virtually. A series of Regional Meetings was held between November 23 and December 11, ahead of the Global OCRT Summit held on December 16 and 17.
Global OCRT Summit 2020
On December 16 and 17, 2020, the worldwide organic cotton community was warmly invited to join our 2020 Global OCRT Summit, which was based around the theme of driving impact through the journey to regenerative organic cotton.
In order to enable as many people to engage as possible, the Summit was repeated over two days, with different panelists.
There are many reasons why we need to rapidly scale the growth of organic cotton, yet doing so can present a number of challenges, not least because it takes several years for farmers to transition to organic.
Over the two sessions, we heard a rich diversity of voices from the worldwide organic cotton community, discussing the practical steps needed to urgently scale the conversion of cotton farms to organic, in order to help achieve the ambitious Climate + targets. The high level of engagement and quality of discussion really showed that the OCRT is a vital platform for collective action and incubating great ideas.

OCRT Regional Meetings
This year’s OCRT Regional Meetings mirrored the regional breakout sessions that would normally be a big part of our in-person Global OCRT Summit. One benefit of hosting these meetings virtually this year was that it enabled much wider and more representative participation. In line with this, we were pleased to offer simultaneous translation for several of the meetings. The agenda of each meeting is provided below.
Head over to our OCRT HUB to access all recordings, presentations, and notes, and to hear the latest announcements and engage with other OCRT members. Not an OCRT member yet? Sign up here.
Africa
November 23, 2020 | Access recording via the OCRT HUB
This meeting was hosted by the OCRT’s Pan-Africa Sourcing Working Group. During the meeting, participants learned about the current context of organic cotton production and policy in Africa, discussed sector-wide strategies for better market access and integrated value chain development, and shared best practices on designing organic cotton farming systems from the farm to the market. French simultaneous translation was available.
Agenda
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- Updates from Textile Exchange’s Pan-Africa Sourcing Working Group
- Policy incentives for organic agriculture and cotton production in Africa
- Status of organic cotton production in Africa and globally
- Panel: Organic cotton production and practices across the African continent
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- Insights from Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Mali
- Q&A
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- Breakouts:
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- Organic cotton farming systems
- Market access
- Collective action to promote organic cotton from Africa
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- Key take-aways
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South & Southeast Asia
December 1, 2020 | Access recording via the OCRT HUB
This meeting was co-hosted by Textile Exchange and the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) under the theme “Securing a green recovery: building back better by supporting organic cotton farmers.” The focus was on in-conversion farming, the direct-to-farm sourcing model, and the new frontier of impact data.
Agenda
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- Update from Textile Exchange
- Panel: In-conversion | Defining a playbook for supporting in-conversion.
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- Lavinia Muth, Armedangels
- Amit Shah, Spectrum
- Amish Gosai, Textile Exchange
- Sumit Gupta, GOTS
- Q&A
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- Panel: Best Sourcing practice, Securing your supply in the first mile of organic cotton
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- Jaskiran Warrik, OCA
- Velavan K, Inditex
- Hitesh Sharam, H&M
- Atul Mittal, Pratibha
- Q&A
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- Tools by Textile Exchange to support in-conversion and best sourcing practices
- Impact data: The new frontier
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- Amish Gosai, Textile Exchange
- Bart Vollaard, OCA
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Latin America & the Caribbean
December 2, 2020 | Access recording via the OCRT HUB
It’s an exciting time for organic cotton in Latin America and the Caribbean and we were delighted to bring the community together to make progress in establishing a strong regional network. This meeting was co-hosted by Textile Exchange, EMBRAPA, and the FAO. In the meeting, organic cotton producer groups and support organizations shared their experiences and best practices and highlighted the unique benefits of organic cotton grown in this region, particularly when it comes to environmental regeneration and social equality. The focus was on scaling organic cotton production. Spanish and Portuguese simultaneous translation was available.
Agenda
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- Panels
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- Perspectives from regional organic cotton producer groups
- Insights from the market
- Barriers to organic cotton production growth and a more sustainable textile industry in Latin America
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- Breakouts
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- How to improve organic cotton farming systems?
- How to how to build a stronger and more fair value chain?
- How to break the barriers to organic cotton production growth?
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- Key take-aways
China
December 8, 2020
Given the significant risks posed to the organic cotton supply chain, this year’s OCRT China Regional Meeting took the form of an “Open Dialogue on Social Risks of Organic Cotton in Xinjiang, China”. The session, facilitated by Joy Saunders, Textile Exchange Ambassador and Integrity Expert, aimed to explore where we are at, what we as a community might like to do collectively, and what role Textile Exchange OCRT might play going forward to address this challenge. Given its sensitivity, the session was by invitation only and held under Chatham House rules without recording.
Questions addressed during the meeting:
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- How can we as a community address the risk of social issues in Xinjiang, China? Looking at timeframes over the short, medium and long-term.
- Is the community leaning towards collective action (whatever that may be), exit, or a hybrid of the strategies (i.e. exit but seek to influence on longer term systemic changes)?
- Who is keen to be part of this discussion and what is the best method to co-ordinate responses or action?
- Who else needs to be involved to bring systemic change?
- What role should the OCRT play?
- How do we take this discussion forward? What are the next steps?
United States
December 9, 2020 | Access recording via the OCRT HUB
Scaling organic cotton production in the U.S.: Why and How. Speakers from Textile Exchange, the Organic Trade Association, The Organic Center, Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative, and Independent Organic Services addressed the role organic cotton production plays in mitigating climate change and discussed obstacles and opportunities to advancing domestic organic cotton production. Interactive, action-oriented, sessions captured participant suggestions for changes at the farm, brand, and government levels.
Agenda
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- Welcome and introduction
- Panels: Scaling organic cotton production in the U.S.
- Why?
- The benefits of organic agriculture – Dr. Jessica Shade, The Organic Center Director of Science Programs
- Climate+ strategy – La Rhea Pepper, Textile Exchange CEO
- Climate legislative and regulatory initiatives – Johanna Mirenda, Organic Trade Association Farm Policy Director.
- Discussion and Q&A
- How?
- Global and U.S. transitional initiatives / Transitional Cotton Challenge – La Rhea, Textile Exchange Managing Director
- Transitioning to organic: obstacles and opportunities – Kelly Pepper, Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) General Manager
- Seed availability and labeling – Angela Wartes-Kahl, Independent Organic Services Co-Owner and Consultant
- Discussion and Q&A
- Why?
- Group strategizing: Expanding the supply and demand of U.S. organic cotton.
- Session leaders: La Rhea Pepper and Sandra Marquardt
- After a brief thought-starter presentation, participants discuss actions needed by farmers, brands, and government addressing seed availability, contract criteria, research focuses, market development plans, and in-conversion cotton commitments. This discussion will be very focused on creating a roadmap to expanding U.S. organic cotton production by addressing opportunities, challenges, and solutions and discussing both supply and demand. Come prepared to create a recipe for success!
- Next steps
- La Rhea Pepper and Sandra Marquardt
EMENA & Central Asia
December 11, 2020 | Access recording via the OCRT HUB
This meeting examined the “four Ts” that are crucial for this region’s organic cotton sector to flourish and to benefit from the growing global demand: Transparency, Traceability, Technology, and Trust. During the meeting, participants heard insights from those deeply involved in this region’s organic cotton sector, and took part in meaningful conversations as we look to strengthen organic cotton’s future in this region. Turkish simultaneous translation was available.
Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
The 4 Ts: Traceability, Trust, Transparency, and Technology in organic cotton supply networks
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- Plenary: our thought-starters will kick-off the discussion on the 4Ts
- Florian Nitzinger, Project Manager, GIZ
- Tolga Uskuç, Owner, Akasya Agriculture
- Aydın Ünsal, Owner, Egedeniz Textile
- Gökhan Aydın, Asst.General Manager, SANKO
- Plenary: our thought-starters will kick-off the discussion on the 4Ts
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- Breakouts in a carousel: attendees will be divided into groups and have the chance to discuss in depth the 4Ts with each of the thought-starters
- Key takeaways from the breakouts
Trust & Transparency – the Sağ Salim Labour Monitoring Program
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- Panel with:
- Leisl Lancaster, Social and Environmental Impact Manager, Outland Denim
- Sandya Lang, Sustainability Manager, Nudie Jeans
- V.Besim Özek, Strategy & Business Development Director, BOSSA
- Richard Williams, Managing Director, PSG
- Panel with:
Q&A with the panelists
Next steps for EMENA & Central Asia and Closing
STAY CONNECTED THROUGH OUR OCRT HUB!
Access the latest agenda updates, pre-reads, and join our framing discussion on the meaning of regenerative agriculture.
The OCRT HUB is the new online home for Textile Exchange’s Organic Cotton Round Table. It will be used extensively throughout our series of Regional Meetings and our Global OCRT Summit to share updates and to provide a place for attendees to meet and exchange. Register to the OCRT HUB here. It’s open to all!
On November 16, we will launch a new “Topic of the month” discussion on the HUB about regenerative agriculture. We want to hear your opinion on what regenerative agriculture means to you and how you see the connection with organic agriculture. Start by telling us how YOU define regenerative vs. organic agriculture here. Your answers will be used to generate a word cloud that will feature on the OCRT HUB and be presented at the Global OCRT Summit.
Related resources
Out of the Box Interviews
Previous ocrt highlights

Series 1: Business as if People Mattered. Filmed during the 2016 OCRT in Hamburg, Germany.

Series 2: West Africa’s otton Trailblazers. Filmed during the 2018 Regional OCRT in Koudougou, Burkina Faso.
Global OCRT 2020, Vancouver
Regional OCRT 2019, China
Global OCRT 2018, Milan
Regional OCRT 2018, Burkina Faso
Regional OCRT 2018, Izmir
Global OCRT 2017, Washington D.C.
Regional OCRT 2017, Izmir
Global OCRT 2016, Hamburg
Global OCRT 2015, Mumbai
Global OCRT 2014, Portland
Global OCRT 2013, Istanbul
Global OCRT 2012, Hong Kong
Past PARTICIPANT COMMENTS
“Excellent global insight and education”
“Very comprehensive, interesting and informative”
“Inspiring, dedicated people with one common goal”
“Rich day with a lot of experience shared between organic cotton actors”
“The OCRT is very important to educate all value chain actors”
“The dialogue was content rich”
“Especially good to hear from South America and Turkey”
“Great to hear so many voices, very democratic”
“Very well organised round table, many good topics discussed”

“We need to look at livable incomes in a specific geographical region and determine the true cost of production, making sure that there is a sustainable margin on that.”Heinrich Schultz Organimark, & Chair of Textile Exchange Catalyst
“We believe now is the time to embed a common agenda through a connected community, to drive meaningful adoption of organic cotton, and to solidify our role in the sustainable cotton continuum.”La Rhea Pepper, Managing Director, Textile Exchange
“Being a first timer at the OCRT was incredibly inspiring. The access to industry thought leaders from Burkina Faso to Jaipur helped me gain a clearer picture of the challenges and immense promise of Organic Cotton. I walked away from the day feeling well informed and part of a larger ecosytem of smart and dedicated people committed to organic cotton and sustainability. It made me proud to be an OCRT sponsor. Thank you!”Linda Cabot, Founder, Linda Cabot Designs
Textile Exchange OCRT Team
- La Rhea PepperCEO
- Liesl TruscottDirector of European & Materials Strategy
- Alice Dos SantosOrganic Cotton Program Coordinator
- Sarah CompsonOrganic Cotton Ambassador and Liaison
- Amish GosaiSouth Asia Manager
- Atila ErtemAmbassador - Turkey, Egypt and Central Asia
- Silvio MoraesAmbassador Latin America
- Evonne TanDirector of Data Management & China Strategy
- Silvère TovignanAmbassador Africa
- Sandra MarquardtAmbassador, North America
- Lisa BarsleyMaterials Program Manager
- Simon CooperMOSP Partner | Change Agency
contact us
For more information don’t hesitate to contact the team at: OCRT@textileexchange.org