Many of our loyal followers have found the jarring "Made in China" label on our site to be antithetical to our mission as a brand. How does an organic based company sell products made in China? The answer is quite simple.
China today is a lot like where Japan was decades ago. Japanese manufacturing was once considered a joke, churning out inferior, shoddily made products. By the time Japanese automobiles and electronics caught up to and even surpassed their American-made counterparts, there was still this latent negative reputation for their products. A bad first impression lasts, it seems.
From the plastic toys in our Happy Meals to the shirts on our backs, Chinese made products have rightfully been maligned as the most poorly made in the past. China has since invested a remarkable amount of resources into elevating their manufacturing and technology, making them a serious contender for quality exports. The result is that the “Made in China” label is no longer synonymous with poor quality.
China is a massive country with a population 5 times larger than the United States, and not all Chinese manufacturers are alike. These days, there are more important factors to consider in the quality of the material than where it was manufactured.
So why do we source some of our cotton from China? Because of the cheaper labor costs, the Chinese made cotton results in a lower price for the consumer.
Here at OrganicTextiles, our organic cotton is harvested in India or China, then processed in either the USA or China - we allow both options for some products. The country in the “Made in…” tag is dependent on where the raw material is spun and sewn into usable fabric. That being said, all of our Organic Cotton products are certified by the Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS) to ensure sustainable sourcing and safe worker conditions no matter where they are produced.
For more on what this entails, visit our blog What exactly does Certified Organic mean?