Cotton

Seven natural fibre stakeholders have come together to appeal to the European Commission to put systems in place that will properly account for the environmental benefits of natural and organic fibres, and promote cooperation across EU institutions to support sustainable, resilient textile value chains.

This is not the first time that India has found itself with a heaven-sent opportunity. This time, however, all indicators are that the ground situation is different. Will India be able to upstage China in the global textiles and apparel trade? A ground report.

In today's world people move from one outrage to the next with as much ease as they swipe left over to the next reel. Last year’s Brazil cotton controversy has resurfaced not only because it has been a year to the revelation, but also because Better Cotton is itself pursuing the thread. And, the loopholes in Better Cotton's damage control exercise that was pointed out by Earthsight remain yawning.

The just-released CottonConnect Impact Report 2024 analyses the outcomes of sustainable agricultural practices and urges the textiles industry to collectively work toward increasing responsible production of raw materials and supporting smallholder farmers to attain a resilient future.

Aimed to empower smallholder farmers, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) and International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) have launched a project to promote carbon credits in African cotton production.

Cotton production is under multi-dimensional stress in Pakistan brought about collectively by factors ranging from low yields to low government support, to outdated farming methods on many of the farms, to constant fragmentation of farmland from one generation to the next, to the palpable impact of climatic change.

The world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton, Better Cotton, has strategically transitioned to become a certification scheme, underscoring its commitment to maintain highest standards of sustainability and transparency in the cotton industry.

The allocation to the textile sector has increased significantly by 57.7% in this year’s India Budget and although Union Finance Minister Nirmal Sitharaman made some game-changing announcements that would benefit the industry in the long run, there were some missed opportunities as well.

Soorty Enterprises' reverse vertical integration effort sources responsibly grown fibre and improves farmer incomes in Pakistan's most impoverished areas. Eda Dikmen, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager and Mobeen Chughtai, Head of Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, talk about fibres, regenerative agriculture and the climate crisis. This is the second of a 2-part interview.

Soorty Enterprises is the only company with LEED Platinum and Cradle2Cradle Gold certifications for both its denim mill and garment factory. Eda Dikmen, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager and Mobeen Chughtai, Head of Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, talk about cotton, denim and climate goals. This is the first of a 2-part interview.