Patrick Hohmann

2002 the UN "Award for Sustainable
Development Partnerships"

How is it feasible to pay fair prices to farmers and sewers in India, Tanzania or Bangladesh, to protect nature and guarantee sustainable production? The Swiss organic cotton pioneer and founder of Remei AG, Patrick Hohmann, has succeeded against all odds. The fabric that we wear on our skin ruins entire economies and destroys nature. Hohmann no longer wanted to accept this. The reason: "It cannot be fair for an Indian farmer to subsidize my T-shirt." After several bankruptcies, setbacks and disappointments, he succeeded in producing cotton for the benefit of all stakeholders. Hohmann set up the bioRe® Foundation, an independent organization, which promotes organic cotton cultivation in India and Tanzania in cooperation with almost 6000 organic farmers. The foundation supports organic farming as a sustainable livelihood for smallholders and their families; it assures the participation of farming communities by respecting their human rights.

Translated by Suzanne Kirkbright