Fou Furnishings

This is my first serious attempt at blogging in what is intended to be a regular feature on themes related to organic textiles and fou furnishings: organic cost and price premiums, certification, benefits, quality, sustainability, supply chain transparency, social justice and the environment to name a few.  The aim of the blog is to be exploratory – please feedback your organic perceptions, questions and comments – as well as topical.

In this credit crunch, the first theme of foublog had to be organic costs and price premiums.  

From blogs to the bioscience industry, the FT to the UK Soil Association, there is a growing debate on the costs and benefits of organic agriculture - versus other crop forms - and how the associated costs of going organic translate into a premium priced product on the shelves, which consumers are also questioning the benefits of.

Whilst the debate is focused on food, cotton is an agricultural crop, dependent on a global production system which has also been subject to questions and debate in terms of its transparency and impact. The organic cotton production system does have transparent benefits along the supply chain - the ideal organic cotton model is driven by the aim of providing environmental, economic and social benefits - which add cost.

The real costs along the organic cotton supply chain relate to certification, at all stages, to provide an assurance to all of ‘green’ quality and integrity without any ‘greenwash’.  The cost and price premium for organic cotton products can be illustrated in a cotton T-shirt.  Documented studies highlight that the cotton raw material in a T-shirt accounts for only a small proportion of the retail price at 7.9%, or an extra 15p on a £7 T-shirt if only the absolute cost is added on. A small cost for organic cotton. The greatest proportion of value goes to the end retailer and using conventional retail pricing, a multiplier effect further increases the cost of organic along the supply chain to the final price.

But what of the cost and value to the end consumer? With regard to cost, many organic textile retailers will look to absorb much of the cost of certification to ensure a competitive product, in terms of price and performance.  Value relates to the quality and durability of a product, not just price. The quality of cotton, in bed linen as in T-shirts, comes down heavily on thread count, weaves and finishes and is generally reflected in the price. Fou Furnishings ® bed linen is certified 100% organic cotton, independently tested against standard performance measures for cotton, as well as traceability and the absence of toxins. Our original, organic cotton range is available in three qualities: organic essentials, percale and premium for different bedrooms and budgets. Our 475 organic Egyptian cotton range, elisabetta, is made from the finest organic cotton fibre and finishing we could source and the bed linen was described by New Consumer as ‘beautiful, durable and ooze(ing) quality’.

The benefits of certified organic cotton are much quoted: the absence of pesticides, chemical fertilisers or toxins which affect growers’ health and income, allergy sufferers and the environment; and the presence of economic and social assurances that working conditions and payments are fair. More about the benefits of organic cotton in a future blog.

Choosing organic cotton isn’t just a change in bed linen, but a change in attitude and one which is about value, not just in ethics, but also lasting value for money.    

Now going through the process of adding on to technorati.com xgmeahj73p and social media sites.