Denim giant Levi Strauss & Co is now sourcing organic cotton directly from farmers in Pakistan as part of its membership of the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) initiative.

According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), organic cotton is the largest and fastest-growing organic commodity in the American marketplace that’s not a food.

However, its footprint against total denim production is miniscule at an estimated 1 percent worldwide.

Levi's is sourcing the organic cotton through Pakistan-based denim mill Artistic Milliners' Organic programme which involves 2,000 cotton farmers in the Kohlu region of Baluchistan.

Artistic Milliners Empowers Women

The vast majority of cotton farmers and pickers are women, and the focus of Artistic Milliners is female empowerment. Founded in 1949 with a small factory of 22 women, the company now has a workforce of 18,000 employeess.

The company’s Little Milliners program serves as both a day care center for children and a school. As a partner of Gap Inc., Artistic Milliners adheres to the company’s 15-year-old P.A.C.E. program. an initiative that affords women access to education, training and resources.

“We have the Artistic Milliners training and development, which is similar to an incubation center where women who have never learned to write in their lives are given job training,” explained former Artistic Milliners’ Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility and Communication Faiza Jamil. “The training is free of cost, and they are paid their wages.”

Jamil recently became Programme Director, Net Zero Pakistan. Women also represent 50-55 percent of management positions at Artistic Milliners.

The Organic Cotton coming through Milliner Organic farms will start flowing in 2023. This cotton is accredited by the Control Union Pakistan according to global organic standards and is supported by the Department of Agriculture Extension, the Government of Balochistan and World Wildlife Fund Pakistan to increase access to organic cotton, writes Levi Strauss.

This link takes readers to Levi Strauss’ latest sustainability report from 2021.