Cotton news and archive

Revolutionising cotton production: Australia's climate-positive initiative

Cotton, a staple of global textiles and the fashion industry, bears a significant carbon footprint, emitting 2-4 tons of CO2 per hectare during production. However, a pioneering venture in Australia is poised to offer a climate-positive solution to cotton cultivation, potentially transforming the landscape for international farmers and supply...

Business

Better Cotton and Cotton Egypt Association enter strategic partnership

The world’s largest cotton certifier Better Cotton and the Cotton Egypt Association (CEA), responsible for promoting and protecting Egyptian cotton worldwide, have announced a new strategic partnership to expand the Better Cotton programme in Egypt and enhance the sustainability and quality of Egyptian cotton production while ensuring fair...

Business

Better Cotton signs UN’s Sustainability Pledge

Better Cotton, the world's largest cotton certifier, has signed the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Sustainability Pledge ahead of the launch of its own Traceability Solution at the end of 2023, joining a list of 90 others including Inditex, Vivienne Westwood, Retraced and WWF. The Sustainability Pledge is an open-source...

Business

2023 Cotton Ranking: Only nine fashion companies source cotton sustainably

Since 2017, Solidaridad Europe and the Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) publish their annual cotton ranking - a look at the largest cotton users among international apparel brands and retailers and their sourcing practices. The number has grown from 37 companies in 2017 to 82 in 2023. The ranking analyses their public objectives and...

Fashion

Nike, Adidas, Shein, Temu in US probe over forced labour in China

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the United States is currently scrutinising some of the world's largest brands regarding forced labour and origin of their cotton-based products. The committee has sent letters to major fashion and sportswear retailers, including Nike, Adidas, Shein, and Temu, to inquire about...

Business

Better Cotton outlines new impact targets for 2030

Cotton sustainability organisation Better Cotton has outlined four new impact targets as part of its ongoing 2030 Strategy and plans to drive change in key areas of the industry. The four targets focus on soil health, women’s empowerment, pesticides and sustainable livelihoods, with each sitting alongside the initiative’s initial commitment...

Business

Better Cotton to reinforce partnership with Tajikistan

The world’s largest cotton certifier Better Cotton wants to strengthen its ties with the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan. To this effect, the cotton sustainability initiative has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tajikistan’s ministry of agriculture to reinforce the partnership and support the production of more sustainable...

Business

Candiani tests regenerative denim in cotton cultivation

In a first fully circular experiment, Italian denim manufacturer Candiani has developed a plant-based stretch yarn obtained from natural rubber to replace synthetic, petroleum-based yarns. Representatives from brands such as Redone, Everlane, J Crew, Citizens of Humanity and Taylor Perez inspected the experiment on site as part of the Road to...

BusinessFeatured

Ralph Lauren joins US Cotton Trust Protocol

Ralph Lauren has joined the US Cotton Trust Protocol as it looks to scale sustainable practices in US cotton production. The move is to support Ralph Lauren’s ‘Timeless by Design’ global citizenship and sustainability strategy to ensure that the company has a lasting, positive impact on the planet and the communities it serves across three...

Culture

Fashion for Good unveils new exhibition dedicated to cotton

Fashion for Good has opened the doors of a new exhibition called 'Knowing Cotton Otherwise', which highlights the rich history behind what is perhaps the world’s most well-known fabric. The exhibition highlights the relationship between cotton and the fashion industry; the role of cotton in an increasingly tightly woven web of global cultures;...

BusinessFeatured

Global cotton crisis: Floods in Pakistan could damage 45 percent of country’s cotton

The devasting floods in Pakistan could be the beginning of a new cotton crisis. An estimated 40 to 45 percent of the country’s cotton crops have been ravished by storms. This will have a disastrous effect on the world’s cotton cycle, sending prices to rocketing heights. Pakistan is one of the world’s biggest cotton producers, the fifth largest...

BusinessFeatured

Cotton from Uzbekistan: comeback after boycott, potential alternative to China

For decades, sourcing cotton in Uzbekistan was considered risky, with child or forced labour used in most cases to harvest by hand. In 2009, more than 300 international brands - including Burberry, Puma, Gucci and Adidas - even joined forces in the Cotton Campaign and announced a boycott of Uzbek cotton products. This hit hard, especially...