Organic and Fairtrade? Potential buyers for our Malimali handwoven fabric will be happy to know that it is woven with certified Organic and Fair Trade cotton. The status of the machine woven cloth that we buy from the same suppliers, the Comatex factory in Segou, is less certain however... When I was in Bamako recently I went to the Comatex shop. I asked the shop assistant if the calico we use for clothing was also Biologique et Equitable, as the French call it. The shop assistant replied in the negative. 'Are you sure? That is a pity!' I remarked. 'Yes, there are some chemicals that they need to add to make it organic and fair trade' he explained. 'These are missing in the calico.'