Maritaş Denim Realized the Second Regenerative Cotton Harvest in Harran Plain
Maritaş Denim, which produces with a team of 520 people and an annual fabric capacity of 24 million meters in its fully integrated production facilities from yarn to weaving, realized the second harvest of the regenerative cotton project it started in 2023 in the Harran Plain.
Turkey’s first TÜBİTAK-supported regenerative cotton harvest carried out in cooperation with universities and industry, aims to reveal the potential for positive effects on organic cotton production. Maritaş Denim’s regenerative cotton project takes a holistic approach that offers solutions to fashion consumption, fabric production, raw material supply, and the relationship between nature and humans. The project is not limited to cotton production but aims to be effective in a wide range from environmentally friendly textile production to fashion.
Maritaş Denim, one of the most important solution partners of national and global denim brands, which produces fabrics for 340 companies in total, realized the second harvest of the regenerative cotton project it started in 2023. The second harvest event, which came to life with the slogan “Harvesting in Harran: Maritaş Denim’s Regenerative Cotton Journey Phase 2”, was an important milestone that revealed the environmental, economic, and academic benefits of regenerative agriculture. In the project, which was initiated to support local farmers and draw attention to regenerative agricultural practices on a national scale, Maritaş Denim cooperates with Harran University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops, and Gaziantep University Department of Textile Engineering. The project ensures that production is carried out using sustainable methods without harming the environment in the process of transforming cotton into clothing, starting from the soil. The success of the project aims to create a radical change not only in the supply of raw materials but also in the production of the fabric and the consumption of final fashion.
First Regenerative Cotton Project Supported by Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA)
Leading the sector in the field of green transformation, Maritaş Denim exports fabrics to 340 brands in 41 different countries through its agencies located in 16 countries. This project, which aims to reveal the positive environmental and social impacts of organic cotton production, is also the first regenerative cotton project supported by the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) and is carried out within the scope of OCA’s global agriculture program.
Nitrogen was Added to the Soil Naturally by Planting Lentils
Maritaş Denim takes environmentally friendly steps in cotton production by implementing regenerative agricultural practices in line with its sustainability goals. Regenerative agriculture practices aim to protect natural resources while increasing the fertility of the soil. In this context, from the first stage of the project, Maritaş Denim naturally added nitrogen to the soil by planting lentils before cotton planting. The nitrogen accumulated in the roots of the lentil plant significantly reduced the use of chemical fertilizers in cotton production, minimizing the damage to the environment and providing a cost advantage. In addition, Maritaş Denim, which prevents the deterioration of the soil structure by minimizing tillage processes and applies sustainable agricultural techniques such as cover planting, has successfully integrated innovative methods in agriculture.
“We aim to change ingrained habits such as conventional agriculture”
Fatih Kesim, Deputy General Manager of Maritaş Denim said; “We embarked on the regenerative cotton journey in 2022, hand in hand with universities and farmers, saying “close supply is possible”. This year, we have grown by adding partners who believe in sustainable change and methods. We are talking about changing ingrained habits and established behaviors such as conventional agriculture, reconsidering raw materials, and designing our products from scratch if necessary to produce them by nature. However, we can’t achieve this alone. We want to make the change with companions who, like us, can handle the process from the beginning to the end, explain the information correctly, and translate it to the fashion industry.”
“In Regenerative Agriculture, We Cover the Field with Plants”
Stating that they completed the harvest of the lentils planted in December 2023 in the second year of the project in May 2024, Harran University Faculty of Agriculture Head of Field Crops Department Prof. Dr. Osman Çopur said; “After this stage, within the framework of regenerative agriculture criteria; We planted cotton in a nature-friendly way, without harming the environment and avoiding deep plowing. We avoided using too much water by going beyond traditional irrigation methods and covered the field with plants for 5-6 months in winter. Cotton farming and conventional agriculture have been carried out in Harran Plain since 1995. We tried to minimize the errors that occurred. Cotton is the second most important oil plant in our country after sunflower. There is 20% oil in the seed and the oil obtained can even be used as a meal. We also have advantages in terms of less tillage. Less tillage means less fuel, reduced production costs, less damage to the environment, and less carbon emissions. In conventional agriculture, the field is left empty for 6 months in the winter season, while in regenerative agriculture, we cover the field with plants. The plant coating keeps photosynthesis going and deposits carbon in the soil. Lentil production is very limited in our country. Turkiye imports around 400-500 tons of lentils every year. With this project, if we can expand lentil production in the plain before cotton planting, we will prevent imports.”
