Textile Exchange’s Organic Cotton Round Table (OCRT) has evolved to become THE shared space for the organic cotton community to gather and collaborate. In April 2017, Textile Exchange introduced the concept of the Regional OCRT in Izmir (see the 2017 Highlights Report and video here). The second Regional OCRT in Izmir was held on 10-11th May 2018 during the 9th EKOLOJİ Trade Show, hosted and sponsored by our collaboration partner, İZFAŞ.
We were honoured to have Helmy Abouleish, CEO of the SEKEM Initiative, join us as keynote speaker, alongside representatives from brands, producer groups, NGOs, government agencies and industry organizations, including:
Akasya
Bio Kishovarz NNC
Bossa Denim
Change Agency
Control Union
Egedeniz
FuarIzmir
GAP/UNDP
Gherzi Group
GIZA COTTON
GOTS
H&M
HELVETAS
HUGO BOSS
IFOAM – Organics International
IZFAS
Jeanologia
Nudie Jeans Co
Organik Tarım Daire Baskani
OrganiMark
SEKEM
Stella McCartney
The Alliance for Responsible Denim
As part of the collaboration with IZFAS, Textile Exchange worked with Change Agency to conduct a Market Opportunity Scoping Project (MOSP) in Turkey, Egypt, Central Asia and the wider European region. The MOSP involved a series of interviews with companies and organizations representing each section of the region’s value network to explore the market opportunities and identify blockages or mis-perceptions that need to be dealt with.
The findings of the MOSP framed the initial discussions at the 2017 Izmir Regional OCRT, which generated a number of initiatives and work-streams to take forward. The Research & Discussion Report resulting from the MOSP is available to download below. It includes detailed findings of the research and identifies the common emerging themes.
One of the actions resulting from TE’s 2016 Organic Cotton Round Table (OCRT) meeting in Hamburg was to create a regional strategy for Turkey and the surrounding region, and there was keen interest to build on the success of the workshop TE hosted during the EKOLOJİ IZMIR Organic Products Fair in 2016. With the OCRT having evolved to become THE shared space for the organic cotton community to gather and collaborate, and with EKOLOJİ IZMIR wanting to strengthen its focus on organic cotton, it seemed only logical to apply the framework of the OCRT – and so, in collaboration with İZFAŞ and EKOLOJİ IZMIR, the Regional-OCRT Izmir was born!
The inaugural R-OCRT was held in Izmir, Turkey, on April 28th 2017. Thank you to all of the participants, speakers, sponsors and partners of this event for your support and valuable contributions on the day. Re-cap on the day’s agenda and speakers in the program here, or download the Highlights Of The Day Report here for an overview of the key themes, outcomes and next steps.
Regional OCRT on the TV!
We were honoured to be joined on the day of the Regional OCRT by Istanbul-based news channel TRT World, who featured the event in their recent documentary “Made in Turkey”. We greatly encourage you to watch the full documentary, but you can skip to the R-OCRT section starting at 6:15. For the full documentary, click here to view Part, and here to view Part 2.
In 2016, Textile Exchange was invited İZFAŞ and EKOLOJİ IZMIR to host a workshop during the 7th EKOLOJİ IZMIR Organic Products Fair, and this is what kicked off the ongoing collaboration between these organizations. You can download the highlights from that workshop below.
The EKOLOJİ IZMIR Organic Products Fair, hosted by IZFAS, is the leading trade fair for the organic sector in Turkey. The fair takes place annually at Fuarizmir, Turkey’s largest fair center, and is growing each year. Seeing the growth of interest in organic textiles,EKOLOJİ IZMIR is strengthening its focus in this area and, in April 2016, invited TE to deliver a workshop. The workshop was highly successful and attracted key players and leading experts from across the industry, as well as over 70 representatives from both Turkish and international textile companies. Following strong signals during the 2016 OCRT in Hamburg that there was sufficient demand for the continuation of such workshops,EKOLOJİ IZMIR and TE formed a collaboration to develop this into an annual event, applying the framework of the well-established Organic Cotton Round Table (OCRT). The inaugural R-OCRT was held in Izmir in April 2017.
Through bringing together the strengths and capabilities of EKOLOJİ IZMIR and TE, the aim is to support the development of the organic textiles sector in Turkey and surrounding regions and to maximize the reach and impact of these efforts. The Regional-OCRT will offer an international audience the chance to learn more about the unique benefits of sourcing from this region, with its strong history in organic agriculture and high quality, vertically integrated production.
