Tracing an Etiko product from seed to store
H.NO. 1-305, Lakkaram Post Utnoor,Mandal, Adilabad district
Cotton sourced from Chetna Organic is FairTrade Certified and Organic.
Chetna Organic is working with small and marginal farmers towards improving their livelihood options and making farming a sustainable and profitable occupation. Chetna works with farmers from the rainfed regions of Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh covering around 43,500 acres. Chetna Organic is made up of 14 cooperatives, with approximately 35 000 farmer members, of which approximately 10 000 work for organic and fair trade producers.
Approximately 36% of Chetna farmers are female.
Date of last audit 20/01/21
Konark Cotton Growers Coop. Spinning Mills Ltd.
Address: P.O Kesinga Kalahandi, Odisha, India
Once the cotton has been picked on one of Chetna’s organic cotton farms, it is sent to Konark Cotton Growers for ginning. Ginning is the process of separating seed from cotton. The cotton then undergoes multiple processes in order to become fabric. Konark Cotton Growers is certified under Chetna Organic’s Fairtrade Certification.
Address: 4th Floor, 234/3A, A. J. C. Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700020, India
Spinning and Dyeing:
The spinning, and dying process is subcontracted by Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills (RCM) to another company who are listed under RCM’s supply chain. The subcontractor is audited by the third party audit agency ‘Control Union’ and adhere to RCM’s policies and codes of conduct.
Knitting and Cut and Sew Facility:
Rajlakshmi orients its production around sustainability; it is certified under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and reuses 50 percent of its waste water. This is achieved by collaborating with dye houses and installing reverse osmosis machines. Sludge is converted into fertiliser and fabric scraps are taken from the cutting tables and recycled to produce paper. Rajlakshmi management and staff collaborate with a local NGO to calculate a living wage for employees every six months - and ensure that the lowest paid workers are paid above this rate. Wages are verified by independent third party audits to ensure compliance with Fair Trade USA standards.
Date of last audit: SA8000 Audit conducted in January 2021
Number of workers: 1616 employees across two locations
Percentage of female workers: 35/1616 = 2.17%