The event, held from 2–4 June, was jointly organised by the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) and Textile Exchange.
It brought together close to 270 delegates from 24 countries. Attendees included farmers, producer groups, suppliers, brands, retailers, civil society, public sector representatives, innovators, and those involved in finance.
The Organic Cotton Summit 2026 served as a platform for the sector to work towards practical solutions, share knowledge, consider regional differences, and build partnerships needed to increase the impact of organic cotton.
Discussions addressed opportunities to expand organic cotton while adapting to changing market trends, policy shifts, and stricter regulatory standards.
A recurring message throughout the sessions was the recognition of organic cotton as an important approach to addressing long-term risks facing the industry.
Participants pointed to interrelated challenges such as adapting to climate change, improving soil health, preserving biodiversity, supporting farmer livelihoods, and ensuring sourcing security. Progress in these areas, they said, relies on cooperative action across the value chain.
Delegates also discussed ways to accelerate improvements, among them increasing investment in farming communities, using data to monitor climate and environmental outcomes, enhancing systems for traceability and transparency, preparing for new policy and due diligence requirements, and fostering trust in complex global supply networks.
They also examined how meeting compliance can be leveraged not only for regulatory purposes but also for creating more robust, accountable, and farmer-centred sourcing practices.
The summit’s conversations in Istanbul resulted in broad agreement that building a sustainable organic cotton sector will require long-term commitment, practical collaboration, and investment that benefits farming communities directly.
Additional activities in the summit include a field visit to the organic cotton-growing area of Aydın, Türkiye.
Hosted by OCA’s local partner Akasya, the visit gave participants the chance to meet with farmers, observe cotton fields during the growing season, and tour a local ginning facility.
The programme also featured speakers and experts from the global organic and sustainability community. In addition, the Organic Cotton Pavilion, hosted by OCA, highlighted organisations working in organic cotton production, certification, traceability, and technological innovation.
Organic Cotton Accelerator executive director Bart Vollaard said: “The organic cotton sector should work like a healthy farm ecosystem. Every part has a role to play, and every part depends on the others. When you look around this room, that ecosystem is here: farmers, brands, manufacturers, certifiers, public sector, civil society organisations, and partners from across the value chain.
"When trust, knowledge, demand, and long-term commitment reinforce one another, the whole system becomes stronger. But no ecosystem can thrive if too much risk sits with one group. If farmers carry a disproportionate share of the risk, the foundation becomes unstable. Our collective challenge is to build a system where responsibility, value, and risk are shared more fairly. Because organic cotton will only reach its potential if we strengthen the entire ecosystem, together.”
