Cotton news and archive

The difficulty of correctly assessing the sustainability of cotton

Cotton has been the world's most popular clothing fibre for years. Surveys confirm this time and again. However, cotton is no longer the most produced clothing fibre. Its market share in the total fibre market is now only around 20 percent. This was not always the case. In the 1960s, its share was about 70 percent, and at the end of the 1980s it...

FeaturedMember

Business

NGOs crack down on alleged human rights violations within Australia’s fashion industry

Organisations in Australia are cracking down on local fashion brands suspected of carrying out systemic labour rights violations. A new report by Oxfam Australia, backed by the Human Rights Law Centre, has outlined evidence of exploitation and child labour specifically across Bangladesh’s garment supply chain, with potential links to Australian...

Member

Business

India suspends raw cotton import duties until September 2025

The Indian government has temporarily exempted all customs duties on raw cotton imports, effective from August 19 to September 30, 2025. The exemption removes an 11 percent import duty, which included a 5 percent basic customs duty, a 5 percent agriculture infrastructure and development cess, and a 10 percent social welfare surcharge. This...

FeaturedMember

Business

India suspends raw cotton import duties until September 2025

FeaturedMember

Business|Background

Changemakers in fashion (part 3): Saqib Sohail, head of Responsible Business Projects at Artistic Milliners

There are countless sustainability initiatives, but who in the fashion industry is truly driving the transition—whether or not their efforts are visible to the broader public? We interview changemakers, consultants, sustainable fashion experts and activists. What can we learn from their work? In this third installment, FashionUnited speaks with...

Member

Business

Cotton and biodiversity: New report demonstrates key role of smallholder farmers

When it comes to cotton, many think of large companies responsible for its cultivation. However, according to Solidaridad figures from 2023, 70 percent of the world's cotton is produced by smallholder farmers. These are family farms of between one and ten hectares. Four key factors are responsible for agriculture contributing significantly to...

Member

Business

Better Cotton to become regenerative standard

Cotton sustainability initiative Better Cotton announced at its annual conference that it would become a regenerative standard within the next twelve months. “While Better Cotton’s field level standard is already recognised to cover many of the core tenets of regenerative agriculture, this move will further ensure that farmers who meet our...

Featured

Culture

"Let Them Be Naked" documentary lifts veil on chemical risks in clothing

As pressure mounts on the fashion industry to confront its environmental and health impacts, designer Jeff Garner is offering a personal—and urgent—call to action. His award-winning documentary Let Them Be Naked will stream globally for the first time this Mother’s Day weekend (8–11 May), in memory of his mother, Peggy Lynn Garner, whose death...

People

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...

Member

Business

Regenerative Cotton Standard records promising results after first harvest in India

The Regenerative Cotton Standard by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), which was launched in Tanzania at the end of November 2023 and expanded to India in July last year, has delivered promising results in the Indian state of Maharashtra after the first harvest: higher crop yields, lower costs and increased awareness of regenerative agriculture...

Fashion

Spanx launches debut shapewear collection with Supima cotton

Women's lifestyle and shapewear brand Spanx has launched its first shapewear collection made from Supima cotton. Created in response to customer demand, the collection includes a curated assortment of Spanx's best-selling shapewear styles made from Supima cotton. Characterized by its extra-long fibers, which create softer, smoother, and more...

Member

Business

Better Cotton shifts to certification model

Better Cotton has announced its official transition into becoming a certification scheme, contributing to efforts of boosting “impartiality and independence” among its business. Farm-level certification decisions will now be outsourced to independent third parties. Tom Owen, head of certification at the non-profit organisation, dedicated to...