At the beginning of the 90s, was being called eco-fashion fueled the demand for sustainably produced textile and apparel products.  One of the attributes was started the highlight to both companies and consumers the positive aspects of organically grown cotton.  By 1995, nearly 25,000 acres of organic cotton were planted, which was substantially more than the 1,000 acres which had been grown in 1990.

Things are looking good for a while but then the clothing companies, which were driving the demand and which had been experimenting with organic cotton products, started to pull back from utilizing this material.  They started to run in to problems related to supply, higher production costs, and price resistance at the register.  By 1997, U.S. organic cotton acreage dropped to about 9000 acres. 

The industry has experienced up and down cycles but is slowly starting to gain a footing with the public. Cost issues were addressed as other countries, such as India, became major producers are able to supply raw materials at a competitive price relative to non-organic cotton.