|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| |
 |
COYUCHI is a Northern California
manufacturing company producing a full line of luxurious
and comfortable cotton sheets, cases, duvet covers,
pillow shams, baby bed linens, soft bath products, rugs,
throws and blankets. COYUCHI products are made from
certified organically grown cotton or wool. The cotton
is grown in Peru, Turkey, India and Uganda. Wool comes
from free-range sheep in the Juchitan region of Oaxaca,
Mexico.
If all the cotton in the world were grown organically,
the use of insecticides could be reduced 25 percent.
In working toward that end, COYUCHI has been recognized
for its role in bolstering the production of organic
cotton. They have received the United Nations Second
Annual Fashion Industry Award for Environmental Excellence.
Every fiber of cotton COYUCHI
uses is produced in accordance with the standards set
forth by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements (IFOAM). Individual organizations handle the
actual certification: IMO, a Swiss-based organization,
certifies our Indian-grown cotton; SKAL, a Dutch certifier,
must approve our Ugandan and Turkish cotton.
What standards must COYUCHI meet
in order for their cotton to be certified as organic?
• Seeds must be non-genetically engineered; insects
should be controlled by methods that simulate what occurs
in the natural environment, where "good" bugs
eat "bad" bugs.
• There must also be an emphasis on keeping plants
healthy- healthy plants are more resistant to infestation-fields
are usually weeded by hand. Organic farms are not allowed
to use any chemical fertilizers or chemical inputs,
such as herbicides or other pesticides.
All COYUCHI organic cotton is
grown in three developing countries-India, Turkey, and
Uganda on family farms that range in size from 2 to
250 acres. COYUCHI willingly pays premium prices to
these small-scale growers for their organic cotton fiber,
because this encourages organic practices that protect,
not only the environment, but these farmers, their families,
and their communities from exposure to toxic agricultural
chemicals. Also, by purchasing COYUCHI cotton at a better
price per pound, the company helps support local and
economically sustainable production.
Learn More:
History
of Cotton
Changing
the way Cotton is Grown
Conventionally-grown
Cotton
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
COYUCHI Indian cotton is
grown by the Vidarbha Organic Project, a group of
80 farms located in 65 villages in the state of
Mahrashtra in Western India. In addition to cotton,
these farms, which are, on average, about 15 acres,
produce a variety of crops including sorghum, wheat,
and safflower. The crops are rain-fed, animals are
used to plow the fields, and most labor is done
by hand, including harvesting. |
| |
|
 |
The Lango Organic Project,
from which COYUCHI purchases their cotton in Uganda,
involves 5,000 farmers and 150 villages located
in the north-central part of the country. The farms
are very small-about 2 acres each and grow millet,
sesame, and root crops along or in rotation with
cotton. As in India, the crops are rain-fed. Cultivation
is done by hand with a simple hoe, but one of the
goals of the project is to re-integrate animal husbandry
with farming. |
| |
|
 |
In Turkey, COYUCHI purchases
their cotton from 18 farms, all located in two
areas-the Aegean region in western Turkey and
Cukrova in the eastern part of the country. These
farms, which range in size from 10 to 250 acres,
also grow wheat, corn, tomatoes, and alfalfa.
Here, farming takes place on a slightly larger
scale than in India and Uganda; in addition to
rainfall, crops are irrigated by furrow irrigation
using pumps.
All three projects are initiatives
of Bo Weevil. By coordinating these projects and
similar ones, this Netherlands-based organization
promotes the organic cultivation of cotton throughout
the world. Bo Weevil provides technical assistance
and financing, and even brokers sales. They also
ensure that there's a market for the crops and
that the farmers receive a fair price. |
| |
|
 |
After the fiber has been
picked, it is ginned at a facility near the growing
area. Ginning removes the seeds from the cotton
fiber or lint, as it is called. The lint is then
baled and sent to the COYUCHI mill in Punjab, India
where it is spun into yarn, which is then woven
into fabric. It is a state-of-the-art facility with
computerized looms and the best spinning equipment
available. Just as important, the facility is ISO
(International Standards Organization) 9002 certified-which
speaks well for both the quality of production and
its labor and environmental practices. |
| |
|
 |
Once at the mill, the lumpy
cotton lint is turned into a fuzzy cloud. This first
step is called carding, and the cotton product,
roving. Carding homogenizes the fibers, spacing
each one equidistantly from the next. The roving
must then be combed. Combing aligns the fibers;
it separates out the longest and strongest fibers
from the weaker, shorter fibers. These fall out
from between the teeth of the comb and become noil-a
material that makes ideal mattress stuffing. The
roving is now spun into yarn. |
| |
|
|
Next, the yarn is woven into
sheeting fabric. To do so it is immersed in a wheat-starch
solution, a sizing, which both strengthens the yarn
and makes it easier to weave. The woven yardage,
greige (pronounced grey), goods are sent by ship
from Bombay to North Carolina. Here again, though
COYUCHI is sending their fabric half way around
the world, they feel they have made a wise choice
– an ocean liner is a very efficient means
of transportation. In fact, it would require ten
times the amount of fuel to move the same amount
of cotton only 2,500 miles across the US. by truck. |
Here, COYUCHI begins the finishing
process. Finishing removes the wheat-starch sizing,
cleans, softens, and then pre-shrinks the fabric so
it feels and looks "finished." Some of the
fabric is put through a hydrogen peroxide bleaching
process to whiten it. Up until this point neither COYUCHI
cotton fiber, yarn, or fabric has come into contact
with any chemicals.
A number of chemicals are used
in the various steps of finishing, though COYUCHI feels
they’ve made the best choices they could make,
and use only chemicals that are approved by certifying
organizations, both in the US and Europe. {In the spirit
of open disclosure, their names and purposes are listed
in our Technical Information below.
Pre-shrinking itself is a wholly non-chemical process
that involves pulling and stretching the fabric using
rubber pads and steam. Pre-shrinking molds the fabric
to its final measurements.
Technical
Information
|
|
|
