Cotton news and archive

China eases tariffs on certain textile and leather products

The Chinese government has introduced a reduction to tariffs on certain raw materials, including strategic inputs for textiles and leather, as it looks to bolster its position as a key sourcing hub. The new plan, which came into effect January 1, 2026, was approved by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council and published by China’s...

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Could Egypt be the next garment producing hub by 2035?

In the first four months of 2025, Egypt’s readymade garment (RMG) exports reached the milestone of crossing the 1 billion US dollar mark. After food and beverages, the textile and garment industry is the second-largest industrial sector in Egypt today. In 2024, the country’s textile exports grew by almost one fifth (18 percent) to 2.84 billion...

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US Cotton Trust Protocol reports “measurable” environmental gains in 2025

The US Cotton Trust Protocol, the voluntary sustainability programme for US cotton growers and the traceability platform for all US Cotton, has released its 2024/25 annual sustainability report, which reveals that more than 1,500 grower members have achieved “meaningful gains” across all six of its sustainability metrics against a 2015 baseline....

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Better Cotton Initiative rebrands and introduces new traceability label

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) marked World Cotton Day with a comprehensive rebrand and the launch of a new traceability label, underscoring the organisation’s efforts to enhance transparency and accountability across the cotton supply chain. The move includes a redesigned logo, website, and the reinstatement of its original full name, fter...

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Hemp denim: Fashion for Good aims to scale up sustainable alternative

Hemp has been praised in the denim industry for years, yet it has not been scaled up. Fashion for Good has announced a new project to investigate this issue. The project involves innovative start-ups and commercial partners such as Bestseller, C&A, Reformation, PDS Limited and Target. Two denim producers, Bossa from Turkey and Nice Denim from...

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Good on You report: Are brands really using certified cotton?

Researchers from Good On You (GOY) have found that brands often communicate extensively about their use of sustainable cotton, while their assortments in practice rely heavily on synthetic fabrics. This is the main conclusion from the new Cotton Rankings Report, which GOY helped compile for the charity Solidaridad. The 2025 Cotton Rankings...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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India suspends raw cotton import duties until September 2025

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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...

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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...