Soorty pioneers sustainable cotton farming with launch of regenerative farming practices

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Apr 7, 2021

Pakistan-based vertically integrated denim business Soorty has launched the ‘Soorty Organic Cotton Initiative’ to pioneer the use of organic cotton farmed with regenerative practices in denim production. 

Soorty’s new project, SOCI, aims to reach out to farmers across the district of Balochistan in Pakistan and identify receptive communities which would like to transform their small holdings into exclusively organic farmlands over the long term. The project will kick off in Nall in Balochistan’s Khuzdar District, the company announced in a press release.   
 
The business has partnered with WWF-Pakistan and the Department of Agriculture Extension, Balochistan to carry out its new initiative and will also receive support and input from the Laudes Foundation. Over the coming four years, SOCI aims to bring around 7,000 acres of land under organic cotton cultivation and produce over 17,000 metric tons of Seed Cotton and 6,000 metric tons of Cotton Lint.

Soorty Enterprises’ director Asad Soorty said: “SOCI is ... about transforming the way cotton buying is conducted, by creating a blockchain-based transparent digital marketplace and traceability mechanism. This is our first foray into farming, and we’re excited by the possibilities in front of us.”
 
By guiding Balochistani farmers to produce organic cotton, Soorty aims to uplift communities and enable them to increase their income. Ameliorating organic farming practices in the region will also help the environment and help to promote sustainably produced denim across the fashion industry. 
 
“The partnership will help accelerate organic cotton cultivation and will be a model for other local textile entities as well as international brands,” said WWF-Pakistan’s senior director Masood Arshad.