Indian garment manufacturer Purecotz is now the first textile factory that has been certified according to the Fairtrade textile standard.

To earn the seal, Purecotz had to commit to paying living wages to all of its one thousand employees within the next six years. In addition to fair wages, the textile standard provides for further measures regarding work safety, employment contracts and complaint mechanisms as well as the freedom of association and the freedom to choose and form a trade union.

Purecotz works exclusively with organic cotton fabrics - a large part of which is Fairtrade certified. The company sees this as the next step in developing even more sustainable production.

The first license partners for Fairtrade apparel are Melawear (Germany) and Brands Fashion (Germany). Both manufacturers are long-standing Fairtrade partners in the textile sector. In addition, a spinning mill and a ginning mill are to be certified before the end of the year. Then Melawear would have access to a completely Fairtrade-certified supply chain.  Only when all the steps of textile production are certified - from cotton ginning to yarn and fabric production to sewing - will companies be allowed to use the Fairtrade textile seal for their products.

Clothing and corporate wear manufacturer Brands Fashion is also working on implementing the Fairtrade textile standard: Their goal for 2020 is the certification of the world's first supply chain.