The very first satellite-monitored, AI-driven certification system for organic cotton was sent into space on 6th June 2023 by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and the European Orbit Agency (ESA).

Artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite images will differentiate between organic and non-organic cotton fields, enhancing the sustainability of organic cotton production and lowering fraudulent activity in distribution networks. According to GOTS's managing director, Claudia Kersten, technologies like this will fundamentally alter the integrity and marketing possibilities of organic cotton.

Currently, the demonstration project is carried out across India. It will allow GOTS to examine the efficacy of remote monitoring and produce accurate projections of organic cotton output in particular regions of India. Under the supervision of ESA's Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) program, the project will train AI to recognize cotton fields and automatically categorize them per the standard of cultivation using ESA satellite data.

The partnership's 2021 feasibility pilot in Uzbekistan serves as the foundation for the ongoing project, and the results are expected to show by the end of 2023. GOTS plans to locate cotton farms that have not yet attained organic certification but may do so in the future based on the awaited year-end findings.

The research is funded by GOTS and ESA, together with the German software development company Marple. Click here to read the press release here.