Vinita Baravkar is the founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton and has had an interesting roadmap to entering the retail, textile & fashion world. She started her professional career in nursing and then moved into International Public Health – Vinita loved her world of health and nursing and certainly do feel the pang sometimes! She has been fortunate to travel to many exciting destinations on the planet and experience the beauty of nature and cultures of the world.
Vinita has spent a lot of time travelling across India and Bangladesh and have learnt a great deal on the ground about the textile industry and the issues that are only now gaining some mainstream media attention. After years in the field meeting with amazing NGOs, grassroots organisations and a growing movement of organic farmers, Vinita felt it was time for positive change and she combined her deep love for the Earth, humanity and sustainable design to create Bhumi Organic Cotton.
By supporting organic farming practices and building a certified organic range in the categories of Bedding, Bath, Sleepwear & Basics and selling them into the Australian market, Vinita sees the opportunity to support the emerging organic cotton industry, which she hopes will start a new movement in more sustainable cotton practices and ethical working conditions for everyone involved.
What impact did witnessing firsthand the disastrous health and environmental impacts of traditional cotton have on you?
Once I began to understand the issues and got a sense of what was going on in the cotton industry I felt it was like peeling back layers of an onion.
Conventional cotton is bound by harrowing issues like farmer suicides, child labour, pesticide poisoning, birth defects, harmful dyes, toxic soils, unfair working conditions,unethical labour practices, poor wages and toxic water ways and an array of health issues from toxic chemicals.
I was devastated listening to the stories, feeling the pain and seeing it all unfold before me and it really shattered me. I felt responsible that what I was choosing to wear and sleep in had such a horrible undercurrent that no-one knew about. I wanted to tell everyone the truth I was seeing, so I felt I had to do something; then Bhumi was born.
In my view, I often see a behemoth of challenges faced when it comes to initiating changes to make our world a better place. Why do you think it’s often such a big hurdle that we have to cross?
Yes it can be quite overwhelming and some might then find it too hard and too big of a mountain to climb. But I always tell people to start with one step at a time. Every small act or change has an impact and the more baby steps we each collectively take the wider the ripple effect it is. For textiles I always say to people start with one thing. Choose a product you feel is on your skin all the time and make the switch to an organic fabric you know has NO toxic chemicals or toxic dyes in the seed to shelf journey of it. I always say to start with an item like a pillowcase that touches your cheek all night.
Starting with small changes is empowering and you feel it is not insurmountable and you can contribute in a meaningful way to help make the world a better place.
What are some things that you think we can do better in our everyday life to help contribute to sustainability efforts?
I love working with my daughter to collectively make changes. We keep each other accountable and it is more fun and a greater sense of collective achievement. I think it is important to take a bird’s eye view of your home, your sanctuary and see what you are doing that you can try to switch up. Are your heaters on? Can you layer up instead? What things do you use in your beauty routine that can change? How much plastic do you see and use at home? Do you use public transport? Can you walk to places? What are you consuming as a food or drink product and what can you change? Can you go meatless one day of the week? Do you have a good understanding of your councils recycling program and bins?
Be informed. Read. Watch documentaries. Dive deeper into the Why and the How of things you will be amazed at what you uncover. Always be open to learning. I feel with knowledge comes power to make decisions and with power to make decisions, we can make positive changes.
How do you think we can best educate our future generations about sustainability in the textile industry?
The best way to do this is ask questions and create dialogues. Talk to your children and their friends about where things come from and the process involved. Who made my bedsheet? Where was it made? How was it made? Were the workers treated fairly? Is child labour involved? What dyes are in there? What was the process to get it from a plant to a sheet? What chemicals are involved? Are there any pesticides used? What is the certification?
Children are hungry for knowledge and they are passionate about the planet and the state it is in. Asking questions with them and helping their journey of education and awareness is so important for them to be informed conscious consumers. There are also many great initiatives by people like Greenpeace Detox My Fashion, apps like Good On You that can help with this and documentaries like River Blue – open each other’s eyes together and don’t hide the truth from them.
What is it like building such an incredible business together with your husband?
It has been an incredible journey. What started as a passion project for me grew into a much larger entity than I had ever imagined for which I am truly grateful.
My husband joined the Bhumi adventure recently so it has taken our boat to new unchartered territory as we each bring different things and skill sets to the table.
My daughter is also a key voice in all that we do so we are all on the same page about the ethos, vision and direction for Bhumi. We feel it is only onwards and upwards with a lot of room for work in the education and awareness space to take place as greenwashing is a huge obstacle at the moment.
If you could leave behind one key takeaway for future generations of WoC Founders, what would that be?
Stand up for what you believe in. Use your voice and don’t be afraid to speak your truth. We live in a global world, don’t hide or shrink and always lead with your heart even if people say you can’t. If you love what you do and believe in yourself take a step forward into the light.
Always ask questions and speak to other WoC Founders who are there for you as your mentors to help guide you on your journey. The hills are steep but don’t stop.
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