Our company, Agricola Partners, has been selected by Gap, Inc.(a San
Francisco-based clothing company) to develop a report that will identify
the opportunities for, and the barriers to, increased use of organic and
pesticide-reduced cotton in the garment industry.
Gap represents a significant portion of the specialty retail market and
uses millions of pounds of cotton annually to make jeans, T-shirts and
other products. As a part of Gap's work to minimize the environmental
impacts of its operations, Agricola Partners and Gap will be developing a
report that will include the following information:
* A world-wide database of organic certification organizations that
will be publicly available on the agAccess www site and in print
form. (http://www.mother.com/agaccess).
* World supplies of organic and pesticide-reduced cotton.
* Information on sourcing organic and pesticide-reduced cotton.
* Information and analysis on costs for producing and processing
organic, pesticide-reduced and conventional cotton, from the farm
to the finished garment.
* Brief case studies to illustrate how different companies have dealt
with various aspects of the organic cotton business.
* Foundation funding opportunities that will affect pesticide
reduction in cotton.
* Strategies that can contribute to increased use of organic and
pesticide reduced cotton.
If you or your organization has any information that could add to this
report, please contact us. We see this project as a cooperative effort
beneficial to a wide range of interests, and are glad to respond to your
questions and suggestions. The results of our work will be available to
everyone in the industry.
If you have any questions or would like additional information about the
project, please feel free to contact me. For more information on our
company and our associates, please see the project team description below.
Sincerely,
David Katz
President
Agricola Partners
603 4th Street
Davis, CA 95616
Tel: (916) 750-2264
Fax: (916) 756-7188
Email: Agricola@davis.com
____________________________________________________________________
PROJECT TEAM - GAP COTTON PROJECT
*Agricola Partners, Davis, CA
Agricola Partners is a consulting firm focused on the sustainable
agriculture and food industries. Founded and directed by David Katz, the
principals at Agricola Partners have over twenty years experience working
in many aspects of the organic farming and food industries.
Over the last twenty-five years Mr. Katz, the President of Agricola
Partners, has been actively involved with many aspects of the food and
agriculture industries as a farmer, marketer, manager, consultant,
designer, and entrepreneur. He founded and is C.E.O. of Ag Access
Corporation (trade name: agAccess), an agricultural publishing company that
is the leading distributor of agricultural books in the world. As a
farmer, marketer and co-founder of the California Certified Organic Farmers
association, he played a leading role in the development of the organic
farming industry in the U.S.
Mr. Katz has extensive national and international experience
consulting on strategic and market analysis, business plan development, and
technical problem-solving for corporate, government and private clients.
Agricola Partners staff working on the Gap project include Nathan Boone,
Rachna Sachasinh, Chris Spalaris, and David Katz.
*Lynda Grose, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Lynda Grose, Inc., is an independent consulting firm specializing
in ecologically responsible product development, sourcing and
communication. Founder Lynda Grose has been extensively involved in the
organic cotton industry since 1990. She co-founded the Esprit Ecollection,
the first complete ecological clothing line distributed internationally by
a major corporation, which led to Esprit becoming a founding sponsor of the
First Organic Cotton Conference in Visalia, California, in 1991. She has
first-hand international experience in manufacturing and marketing organic
cotton, and currently advises international development organizations,
manufacturers, and non-profit organizations in the textile industry. A
founding member of The Center for Sustainable Design, Surrey, England, and
the International Society for Sustainable Design, Ms Grose has published
articles on the role of the designer in bringing organic cotton to the
marketplace, and is writing a book on the subject.
*Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN
Founded in the mid-1980s, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy (IATP) is a non-profit, independent, global research and education
organization whose mission is to create economically, socially and
environmentally sustainable rural communities and regions. The Institute's
goals are to make policy-making institutions understandable, accessible and
accountable, and to enable public interest groups and individuals to
participate effectively in domestic and international decision-making.
IATP is the publisher of the Organic Cotton Monitor, a leading
information source monitoring the organic cotton industry. Mark Ritchie,
president of IATP, will be the lead contact from IATP and will coordinate
the involvement of the IATP staff.
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| Agricola Partners :: Tel: 916-750-2264 |
| 603 Fourth Street :: Fax: 916-756-7188 |
| Davis, CA 95616 :: Email: Agricola@davis.com |
| www: http://www.mother.com/agaccess/Agricola.html |
|=====================================================|
| Agricola Partners is dedicated to the agriculture |
| and food industries with an emphasis on |
| sustainable agriculture and organic farming. |
=====================================================
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| agAccess :: Tel: 916-756-7177 |
| 603 Fourth Street :: Fax: 916-756-7188 |
| Davis, CA 95616 :: Email: agaccess@davis.com |
| WWW: http://www.mother.com/agaccess |
|====================================================|
| agAccess is dedicated to sustainable agriculture |
| through the worldwide publication and distribution |
| of high quality, practical information. |
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