The 36th International Cotton Conference wants to delve deeper into sustainability issues. The two-day event, organised by the Bremen Cotton Exchange and the Fibre Institute Bremen eV, gets under way on 29 September.
Turning 150: Founded in 1872 to strengthen the interests of the cotton trade and consumption in Germany, the Bremen Cotton Exchange has now been in the cotton business for 150 years. The 36th International Cotton Conference coincides with Bremen Cotton Exchange's 150th anniversary.
Getting Specific: Under the motto 'Cotton Decoded', the Conference will get specific: How far are we on our way, what have we achieved? How transparent is cotton today? How is the natural fibre reflected in the United Nations’ sustainability goals (SDGs)?
Some of the major highlights:
- Sustainability Needs Transparency: Gary Adams, President and CEO of America's National Cotton Council, will offer an overview of the sustainability initiative US Cotton Trust Protocol. An important aim of the protocol is to achieve continuous, measurable improvement in key sustainability indicators. This data is shared fully transparently with brands and retailers to inform end consumers. The presentation will present the overall scope and structure of the initiative, as well as an overview of the aggregated sustainability data from the participating growers.
- Lifecycle Assessment: Roger Gilmartin, UK technical advisor on the Cotton Council International (CCI) technical team, will report on the results of a research project dealing with the creation of a lifecycle assessment for the manufacture and marketing of t-shirts. Previously published LCAs have concentrated on what happens within agriculture. This current study includes all the processes that take place in a textile and clothing factory in Bangladesh.
- Clothing Made from Fibre Blends in the Washing Process: Claudia Heller, former research associate at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, now Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte BSH, will focus on the results of a washing study in which a shirt and a t-shirt with different material compositions and fabric constructions were exposed to a repeated household washing process according to a specific standard. The results show the change in fibre properties due to the influences of detergents, dirt and limescale.
- Biodegradability: What happens to dyed cotton? Mary Ankeny, Vice-President (Product Development and Implementation) at Cotton Incorporated, USA, will provide information on the results of the biodegradability of dyed and finished cotton textiles in different natural environments. The research was carried out into how chemicals break down that are used to provide colour and special properties to cotton clothing.
- No Planet, no Fashion: Andreas Streubig, Senior Vice President Global Corporate Responsibility & Public Affairs, will explain how Hugo Boss has implemented sustainability as a key guiding principle of its technology-driven growth strategy defined as “CLAIM 5”. The five claims – ‘Boost Brands’, ‘Product is King’, ‘Lead in Digital’, ‘Rebalance Omnichannel’ and ‘Organise for Growth’ – are based on a holistic and action-oriented understanding of sustainability. In this sense, sustainability is a sign of the future viability of the company, combined with intensive transformation and innovation processes.
