Avalo names chief commercial officer to introduce its low-input cotton

American AI-powered crop-evolution company Avalo has named textile-innovation veteran Tricia Carey as its chief commercial officer to bring its new low-input cotton to market.

In a statement, Avalo said that Carey, who has decades of experience in industry-changing technologies such as introducing cutting-edge fibres like Tencel and pushing circularity during her time with Renewcell, has been brought on to lead the commercialisation of the company as it scales up its cotton programme in the Texas Panhandle.

For the last two years, Avalo has worked closely with cotton growers, plagued by high fertiliser costs and decreasing water availability, to develop a regionally adapted cotton variety that requires no irrigation and uses up to 30 percent less fertiliser. Avalo states that its low-input cotton represents “a giant leap forward in textile sustainability,” and provides a “much-needed lifeline for the Texas Cotton industry”.

Starting this harvest season, Carey will help Avalo scale this exciting new “high-quality, low-carbon footprint” cotton to help global brands address critical challenges like rising costs and scope three emissions.

Brendan Collins, chief executive of Avalo, said: “We’re so excited to have Tricia on board who has brought industry changing innovation to the textile world. That said, her experience as a strategist, supply-chain connector and coalition builder will help us bring similar innovation to other industries that desperately need it.”

Commenting on her new role, Carey added: “I’m thrilled to join Avalo and be part of an exceptional team that's pioneering innovative solutions at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and textiles. Avalo’s machine-learning platform accelerates plant evolution in a ground-breaking new way, enabling us to bring more sustainable and efficient products to market faster and cheaper than ever before – which allows us to better keep pace with the agricultural challenges we’re facing.

“And they do this while helping the folks who sit at the centre of it all, the farmers. This is an exciting moment for Avalo, and I'm energised by the opportunity to contribute to the company’s vision of making our global agriculture more sustainable, resilient and equitable.”