Design Delight Studio

From Fashion to Farm: Green Marketing Innovation in the Brazilian Organic Cotton Ecosystem

Published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, August 2022

Overview

This study investigates the green marketing innovation strategies co-created by various stakeholders within Brazil’s organic cotton ecosystem. It reveals how collaborative efforts—from small farmers to fashion brands—have propelled sustainable cotton production and market integration, offering insights into effective sustainable marketing and ecosystem management.

Key Highlights

• Collaborative innovation: Brazilian organic cotton ecosystem thrives on synergy among designers, branded producers, research institutions, NGOs, smallholder associations, and government bodies.
• Value co-creation: Joint marketing strategies enable sustainable agricultural practices and social inclusion, boosting economic and environmental outcomes.
• Ecosystem pillars: Green marketing innovation is framed around two pillars: (1) upstream marketing, connecting designers and brands directly with producers, and (2) ecosystem articulation enabling multi-actor partnerships.
• Sustainable practices: Smallholders adopt agroecological techniques including rainfed crops, soil health maintenance, biodiversity preservation, and integrated fiber-food cultivation.
• Market expansion: Initiatives foster better social and economic conditions in rural regions, while growing consumer demand for sustainable fashion creates market pull for organic cotton products.

Context: The Textile and Cotton Industry in Brazil

Brazil is a major global cotton and apparel producer, with the textile sector employing 1.5 million workers domestically. Conventionally, large farms dominate cotton production, supplying synthetic-intensive mainstream supply chains. Conversely, organic cotton is primarily produced by smallholders and cooperatives not fully integrated into these chains, lacking promotional backing by major industry players.

Challenges Addressed

• Sustainability gaps: Conventional cotton farming harms soil and water through agrochemical use and monoculture.
• Market integration: Organic cotton struggles for visibility and uptake in mainstream fashion value chains.
• Fragmented information: Disjointed knowledge and action create confusion among suppliers, brands, and consumers.

Strategies and Innovations

• Collaborative network creation: A web of actors including Brazilian R&D and international NGOs drive agroecological practices and jointly develop sustainable cotton supply chains.
• Green marketing as ecosystem management: Moving beyond product-focused marketing, the approach entails partnership-building that aligns social, environmental, and economic objectives.
• Ecosystem roles: NGOs facilitate funding and information exchange; research institutions guide production innovations; brands pull the industry toward sustainability by educating consumers and demanding eco-friendly fibers.

Implications for Sustainable Fashion and Marketing

• Holistic approach: Marketing innovation encompasses transparent communication flows linking designers to producers and delivering authentic sustainability narratives.
• Social inclusion: Empowerment of smallholder communities through sustainable agriculture enhances rural livelihoods.
• Model for regenerative fashion: Brazil’s organic cotton ecosystem exemplifies how multi-stakeholder collaboration can reshape commodity value chains for environmental and social good.

Conclusion

The Brazilian organic cotton ecosystem demonstrates that green marketing innovation requires coordinated action across multiple sectors, transcending commercial interests to form cohesive partnerships. This collaborative framework not only expands sustainable market opportunities but also strengthens social and environmental resilience, offering a valuable model for global sustainable textile production.

Reference

Duarte, L.O., Vasques, R.A., Fonseca Filho, H., Baruque-Ramos, J., & Nakano, D. (2022). From fashion to farm: Green marketing innovation strategies in the Brazilian organic cotton ecosystem. Journal of Cleaner Production, 360, 132196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132196

Design Delight Studio curates high-impact, authoritative insights into sustainable and organic product trends, helping conscious consumers and innovative brands stay ahead in a fast-evolving green economy.