There Is No Sustainability Without Transparency

Tierra Forte
There Is No Sustainability Without Transparency
Two days ago, the New York Times published a scathing expose on the organic cotton industry in India. Their research shows that much of the “organic cotton” may not actually be organic at all, and that the premiums buyers pay for organic cotton benefit middlemen and fraudsters more than legitimate organic growers. 

We here at Mightly take pride in our sustainable children’s clothing, which are certified organic and fair trade. So are we concerned? About the impact on the sustainable textile industry, which is finally reaching a mainstream audience? Yes! About the impact on authentic organic cotton farmers? Definitely! 

About the legitimacy of our own organic clothing? Absolutely not! 

In fact, the Times article reinforces what we here at Mightly have been saying for a long time: there is no sustainability without transparency. That is why we publish our supplier information on our website.

Here are three reasons why Mightly customers can rest assured that our organic clothing is truly organic (made without any pesticides, toxic chemicals or GMOs) and that the farmers we source from were paid a fair price for their crop: 

  1. We know where our cotton comes from! We only work with suppliers who are able to track the cotton they use all the way back to the farm group, and who will share that information with us.
  2. We use cotton grown by Chetna Organic, a well-established non-profit organization that has provided training and support to organic farmers in India since 2004. 
  3. In 2021, we paid Chenta farmers $3.30 per kilogram of cotton, which is nearly twice the cost of conventional cotton and 10% higher than the average cost of organic cotton in India.  

The Times article is not wrong in saying that the organic cotton industry in India is beset by fraud. We hope that this article will galvanize our industry to strengthen the system rather than walk away from it. The environmental, health, and climate benefits of authentic organic production are well known and organic farmers deserve real commitment and investment from the brands that are benefitting from growing consumer demand for sustainable clothing. 

We further agree with the Times that the only way for a brand to ensure its organic cotton is actually organic is to invest in farmers directly through credible organizations before any seed is ever sown. And that’s exactly what we here at Mightly have been doing since we founded our company in 2019. 

Our Values

We are four moms who together have nine kids and over 40 years of apparel industry experience. We founded Mightly to make the kind of clothes we want for our own kids: clothes that can handle any kind of adventure, are ethically made, and don’t cost a fortune.

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