Award winner
Social impact award winner
Yumeko received the Social Impact Award, presented by the Rabo Foundation, for its Open Organic Cotton Chain – a radical step toward a more inclusive, transparent and fair textile value chain.
By directly partnering with Chetna, a Fairtrade and organic cotton cooperative in India, and pre-financing farmers right after harvest, Yumeko supports self-reliance, stable income and freedom from debt cycles. The model ensures fair working conditions, full chain traceability and long-term relationships based on trust rather than price volatility. It also incentivises farmers to continue organic farming.
The Open Organic Cotton Chain is now evolving into a collaborative platform: Yumeko has already welcomed its first partner brand, Joolz, and aims to expand the program in 2025 and 2026 by inviting more brands to join.
About Yumeko
Yumeko’s Open Organic Cotton Chain is a radical step toward a more inclusive, transparent, and fair textile value chain. By directly partnering with the Fairtrade and organic cotton cooperative Chetna in India and financing directly after harvest, Yumeko empowers farmers with more self-reliance, stable income, and freedom from debt cycles. It also serves as an incentive for farmers to continue practicing organic farming.
The initiative ensures fair working conditions, full chain traceability, and long-term relationships based on trust rather than price volatility. In 2025 and 2026, we aim to expand the program and actively invite other brands to join, turning a single supply chain into a collaborative platform for systemic change: our first collaboration within the Open Organic Cotton Chain — with Joolz — marked the beginning of turning this dream into reality.