Top Story

New Better Cotton Report Seeks to Align LCA Practice with Real-World Farm-Level Realities

A coalition including Better Cotton, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Australia, and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has issued new guidance on responsible life-cycle assessment use. The publication From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right calls for LCAs to be applied alongside verified field data to deliver credible, transparent, and farmer-informed sustainability progress.

Latest: Updates
Other Top Stories
 
CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE

Systemic Overhaul Across Design, Disposal and Recycling Key to Advancing Circularity in Textiles

The Netherlands is pursuing ambitious circularity targets through extended producer responsibility, aiming to raise textile reuse and recycling rates while driving systemic reform. A collective framework is helping coordinate producers, recyclers, and innovators, even as legislative pressure grows and cross-border harmonisation efforts intensify under forthcoming EU regulations. In this context, Sekhar Lahiri, Director of Stichting UPV Textiel, discusses the challenges and opportunities shaping the transition.

 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
GHG Emissions / FLAG Aspect

Cascale and Worldly have developed a standardised methodology for apparel and footwear companies using the Higg MSI to calculate FLAG emissions. The method separates FLAG from aggregated GHG data, integrates land use change figures, and applies base and conservative assumptions. It delivers consistent baselines, enabling compliance with Science-Based Targets initiative requirements and alignment with forthcoming GHG Protocol FLAG reporting guidance.

Climate Crisis / Fashion Emissions

The apparel sector’s carbon footprint grew sharply in 2023, underscoring the gap between climate commitments and actual performance. The rise in emissions was driven primarily by polyester usage, particularly virgin fibres. Despite growing investment in greener practices, the sector remains far off course for its 2030 goals, according to a new report from Apparel Impact Institute.

 
 
 
FOCUS: COTTON

Rural Communities Harness AI to Improve Cotton Farming, Sustainability and Innovation Capacity

Artificial intelligence is reshaping agriculture by offering smarter ways to monitor pests and optimise pesticide use. A new initiative demonstrates how rural communities can harness cutting-edge technologies to strengthen farming practices, protect health and build innovation capacity. The project also highlights how collaborative partnerships can bring long-term economic and community benefits outside urban centres.

 
 
SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
State of Leather 2024
Cotton for Good 2024
 
 

"Quote Unquote"

Andrew Olah
Andrew Olah
Founder / Owner
Transformers Foundation / Kingpins Show
Suppliers are scared of the brands knowing what they think; so, they smile at the brands, invite them for lunch, and then tell us what they think of their behaviour, and we have more than 50 of these kinds of reactions—private concerns, and public smiles out of fear. That itself shows how unethical our industry is. People are frightened to tell the truth.

"Quote Unquote"

Stefan Mueller
Stefan Mueller
Head, Business Unit Textile Additives
Sanitized AG
The demand for antimicrobial textiles is driven by both brands/retailers and end-consumers, with each influencing the other. Brands and retailers seek antimicrobial solutions to differentiate their products and respond to growing health-conscious trends. End-consumers are increasingly aware of and demanding products that offer added hygiene benefits.
 
 
FOCUS: LEATHER

New Methane Report Is Elitist Skullduggery Masquerading as Settled Science

The new report Now or Never from Collective Fashion Justice claims to present fashion’s first methane footprint. Promoting a phase-out of animal-derived materials, it casts the industry as a major climate offender. Yet scrutiny suggests its arguments rely on ideology rather than robust analysis, raising concerns about credibility, methodology, and overlooked mitigation pathways.