Demand for organically-produced clothing and cosmetics as well as food are helping to fuel an explosion in organic sales a new report will show.
Spending on organic food, cosmetics and clothes has soared by 20 per cent on the previous year to reach£2 billion, according to the Soil Association’s Organic Market Report.
The report will show that the British consumer is applying the same ethical standards as they do to food and drink to what they wear and put on their skin.
The Soil Association will reveal that an increasing distaste for the poor human rights and environmental record of some suppliers has helped boost the value of the organic cotton market, which is predicted to grow by 50 per cent this year to£60 million.
The report will be published as Retail Week continues to highlight retailers’ involvement in benefiting the economies of the developing world in its Source For Good campaign.
Soil Association director of food and farming Helen Browning said that while health is consumers’ prime concern when choosing organic food and cosmetics, shoppers are more concerned about the health and well-being of others in other countries when choosing organic clothing.
She said: “People are becoming aware that certain crops, such as cotton, involve the use of a huge amount of pesticides, particularly in the developing world. The workers are sometimes poorly safeguarded against the impact of these pesticides.”
Marks & Spencer, Topshop, Sainsbury’s, H&M and Tesco are among retailers who have launched organic clothing ranges.
Last year, organic cosmetics from beauty manufacturers such as Clarins, YSL Beaute and L’Oreal invested in their own organic skincare lines.
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