Sustainability

Keeping cotton sustainable to both producers and the environment is a key goal. Follow along as we examine industry leaders’ efforts to keep cotton sustainable.

CCA to Focus on Internationalization, Modernization

The China Cotton Association (CCA) is moving full speed ahead in its efforts to internationalize and modernize the country’s cotton industry, according to Madam Gao Fang, the association’s executive vice president and secretary general.

Cotton Fabric Cleans Itself When Exposed to Sunlight

A new cotton fabric, developed by scientists from Donghua University in Shanghai, can be cleaned and deodorized simply by hanging them on a clothesline in the sun.

Bayer CropScience Enters Agreement to Improve Cotton Technology

Bayer CropScience has obtained exclusive rights to Performance Plant Inc.’s Heat and Drought Technology for cotton, which preserves yield by enhancing plants’ tolerance to heat, drought or combined stress.

A Breakthrough That Could Spark Flood-Resistant Cotton

The search for a flood-resistant variety has a strong sense of urgency, and a discovery announced last week by a genetics professor in California glimmers with hope.

Levi Strauss Releases Better Cotton Jeans

Joining the ranks of companies looking to better their environmental image is Levi Strauss & Co, whose newest line of jeans embrace the Better Cotton Initiative.

U.S. Farmers Could Be Mired in Permits for Applying Pesticides

A U.S. Appeals Court failed to reverse a decision that could require U.S. farmers to apply for pesticide application permits, which could significantly affect the type and frequency of pesticide applications.

Retailers to Engage Supply Chain in Better Cotton Initiatives

Sustainability will become a license to do business, based on the discussions at the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Supply Chain conference held in September 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

CropMark Direct Achieves Green Dividend for Sustainability Efforts

West Texas-based CropMark Direct recently became the first U.S. cotton merchant to be awarded a “Green Dividend,” a feature of cotton insurance offered by Rekerdres and Sons Insurance Agency.

Cotton Has Come a Long Way in Reducing Environmental Impact

As these facts illustrate, cotton is nothing like the environmental offender that some detractors claim it is.

ICA Preview: What Sustainability Means to a Merchant

International Cotton Association First Vice President Antonio Esteve provides insights into his highly anticipated presentation at this year's event.

ICA Preview: An Update on BCI Activities

Lise Melvin, executive director of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), provides an overview of what BCI is all about, and what it has accomplished in its first year.

Kofi Annan Discusses Global Compact at World Textile Summit

Annan issued a strong call to action for more companies to join the UN Global Compact, an initiative he began in an attempt to encourage economically, socially and environmentally sustainable business development.

Retailer to Purchase 1,000 Tonnes of CmiA Cotton

Smallholder cotton growers in five African countries will benefit from C&A’s recently announced plans to purchase 1,000 tonnes of African cotton.

American Eagle Outfitters Joins Denim Recycling Initiative

American Eagle Outfitters has joined with Cotton Incorporated in a nationwide effort to advance the highly successful “Cotton. From Blue to Green” denim recycling program.

FFA Members Fight Hunger in Africa

Students spent two weeks in Rwanda to help local farmers fight hunger and poverty by teaching them sustainable agriculture techniques.

ICAC Researcher: “The Best Is Yet to Come”

Dr. Sukumar Saha, a research geneticist with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, is recognized for his work to open new paradigms in cotton breeding and genetics.

SMART Companies Emphasize Textile Recycling

A major revenue source for charities is the sale of unusable products to textile re-purposing companies, since almost 99 percent of textiles can be recycled.

ACSA's International Cotton Institute Student Essay: Organic Cotton

Serhat Özçiçek of Özçiçek Tekstil acknowledges that organic cotton is currently a small part of the overall market, but it's a growing and increasingly important niche.

CNTAC to Hold 7th International Cotton Textile Conference

The China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) will hold a conference Oct. 15-17 in Jiangsu Province, China, with the theme, “Industry Adjustment and Stability – the World and China.”

ICAC 2011 Preview, "Organic Cotton Production: The Reality of Costs and Benefits"

Reducing the environmental impact of cotton is a desirable goal, but the question isn’t whether or not the goal should be pursued, but rather, how to get there.

ICAC 2011 Preview: Success Factors for Farmers’ Groups

This session's speakers will provide the histories of some notable farmers' associations and cooperatives, as well as the success factors that enabled them to thrive.

ITMF 2011 Preview: Future Technologies

Biotechnology has greatly contributed to securing cotton production and is used by large- and small-scale farmers -- and they will continue to benefit from this technology in years to come.

Is It Time for Rules on Sustainability?

Social consciousness of environmental issues is still growing ... at least in countries that are rich enough to be able to afford such an approach.

Growers in Cameroon Encouraged by Prices

High international prices and government subsidies brighten the outlook of the nation’s cotton growers.

Australian Cotton Industry Forum Addresses Water, Labor Issues

Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says the size of next year’s cotton crop might well be affected more by the availability of water and labor than market speculation.

NCC Pleased that Bill Amendments Are Rejected

The failed amendments would have severely compromised the cotton program by amending the 2008 farm law two years before it is scheduled to expire.

Why Bother with Cotton Demand Enhancement?

Cotton's future market share is largely dependent on a continued preference for cotton, especially in consumer products, and that is the role of demand enhancement.

Pakistan Is Decades Behind in Use of Biotechnology

Scientists in Pakistan estimate that the country is approximately 25 years behind the rest of the world in its use of available biotechnology.

Part II: Why Bother with Cotton Demand Creation?

The second of the two-part series by Dr. Jeffrey Silberman emphasizes that cotton demand creation requires more than just promotion.

AFRACA Gets $500,000 to Help Rural Women

The goal of the initiative is to provide an economic base for rural women in Kenya, Tanzania Zambia and Mozambique, who would otherwise have no access to credit.

Part II: 10 Years of Bt in India

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part feature story on the history of Bt cotton in India from Dr. Keshav Kranthi, director, Central Institute for Cotton Research.

10 Years of Bt in India: Biotech Seeds Save Indian Market

This season alone, nearly 7 million farmers in India purchased 30 million authentic, GEAC-approved Bt cotton seed packets and planted them in 9.4 million hectares.

Biotech Update

Biotechnology solutions for a decade of cotton production challenges

NCC Joins in Pesticide Prevention Lawsuit

NCC Chair Charles Parker says pesticide lawsuit is the wrong way to go about protecting fisheries and wildlife.

Uzbekistan Studying Better Water and Land Use Practices

Prior mistakes in land and water management still haunt growers in Uzbekistan, but a coalition of organizations is working to promote better practices.

Growers in Burkina Faso Seek Subsidies

Protests are shaking sub-Saharan Africa's top cotton producer as farmers protest for much higher prices in the coming season.

Textile Giant Arvind Is Bullish on Cotton

Organic program brings assistance to 4,000 farmers in need.

The adidas Group to Use Nothing but 'Better Cotton' by 2018

As part of its environmental strategy, the major sports and performance retailer has announced its intent to use 100 percent 'Better Cotton' in its products.

BCI Reveals 2010 Harvest Results and 2011 Plans

With successful harvests in India, Pakistan and Mali, 2010 was a watershed year for the Better Cotton Initiative.

Indian Seed Lab Remains Unused, 13 Years Later

A cutting-edge facility was fully stocked with machinery to test seed quality, germination, lamination--even DNA--but hasn't been used since it was completed in 1997.

Haldenby: 'Farmers Aren't Getting $2/lb for Cotton'

Although the markets show cotton to be more than $2/lb, that's the value of cotton in inventories today, not what farmers are receiving for their harvest.

Levi’s Is Thinking Green with Eco-Friendly Denim

The finishing priocess for the new Water<Less line of jeans from Levi Strauss uses 28 percent less water than normal jeans.

Vision 21 Dives Deep into Cotton’s Life Cycle

Vision21, a Cotton Foundation project focused in part on setting sustainability and efficiency benchmarks, is close to completing a cotton life cycle inventory.

Report Shows Demand for Organic Cotton Remains Strong

The global recession has battered many industries, but the production of organically gorwn cotton continues to make strides in the marketplace.

Nonprofits Invest in Ugandan Ginning Company

Two not-for-profit firms--Acumen Fund and Root Capital--are using their financial clout to rejuvinate the cotton industry in war-torn Uganda.

Sustainability

Keeping cotton sustainable to both producers and the environment is a key goal. Follow along as we examine industry leaders’ efforts to keep cotton sustainable.

The China Cotton Association (CCA) is moving full speed ahead in its efforts to internationalize and modernize the country’s cotton industry, according to Madam Gao Fang, the association’s executive vice president and secretary general.

A new cotton fabric, developed by scientists from Donghua University in Shanghai, can be cleaned and deodorized simply by hanging them on a clothesline in the sun.

Bayer CropScience has obtained exclusive rights to Performance Plant Inc.’s Heat and Drought Technology for cotton, which preserves yield by enhancing plants’ tolerance to heat, drought or combined stress.

The search for a flood-resistant variety has a strong sense of urgency, and a discovery announced last week by a genetics professor in California glimmers with hope.

Joining the ranks of companies looking to better their environmental image is Levi Strauss & Co, whose newest line of jeans embrace the Better Cotton Initiative.

A U.S. Appeals Court failed to reverse a decision that could require U.S. farmers to apply for pesticide application permits, which could significantly affect the type and frequency of pesticide applications.

Sustainability will become a license to do business, based on the discussions at the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Supply Chain conference held in September 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

West Texas-based CropMark Direct recently became the first U.S. cotton merchant to be awarded a “Green Dividend,” a feature of cotton insurance offered by Rekerdres and Sons Insurance Agency.

As these facts illustrate, cotton is nothing like the environmental offender that some detractors claim it is.

International Cotton Association First Vice President Antonio Esteve provides insights into his highly anticipated presentation at this year's event.

Lise Melvin, executive director of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), provides an overview of what BCI is all about, and what it has accomplished in its first year.

Annan issued a strong call to action for more companies to join the UN Global Compact, an initiative he began in an attempt to encourage economically, socially and environmentally sustainable business development.

Smallholder cotton growers in five African countries will benefit from C&A’s recently announced plans to purchase 1,000 tonnes of African cotton.

American Eagle Outfitters has joined with Cotton Incorporated in a nationwide effort to advance the highly successful “Cotton. From Blue to Green” denim recycling program.

Students spent two weeks in Rwanda to help local farmers fight hunger and poverty by teaching them sustainable agriculture techniques.

Dr. Sukumar Saha, a research geneticist with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, is recognized for his work to open new paradigms in cotton breeding and genetics.

A major revenue source for charities is the sale of unusable products to textile re-purposing companies, since almost 99 percent of textiles can be recycled.

Serhat Özçiçek of Özçiçek Tekstil acknowledges that organic cotton is currently a small part of the overall market, but it's a growing and increasingly important niche.

The China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) will hold a conference Oct. 15-17 in Jiangsu Province, China, with the theme, “Industry Adjustment and Stability – the World and China.”

Reducing the environmental impact of cotton is a desirable goal, but the question isn’t whether or not the goal should be pursued, but rather, how to get there.

This session's speakers will provide the histories of some notable farmers' associations and cooperatives, as well as the success factors that enabled them to thrive.

Biotechnology has greatly contributed to securing cotton production and is used by large- and small-scale farmers -- and they will continue to benefit from this technology in years to come.

Social consciousness of environmental issues is still growing ... at least in countries that are rich enough to be able to afford such an approach.

High international prices and government subsidies brighten the outlook of the nation’s cotton growers.

Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says the size of next year’s cotton crop might well be affected more by the availability of water and labor than market speculation.

The failed amendments would have severely compromised the cotton program by amending the 2008 farm law two years before it is scheduled to expire.

Cotton's future market share is largely dependent on a continued preference for cotton, especially in consumer products, and that is the role of demand enhancement.

Scientists in Pakistan estimate that the country is approximately 25 years behind the rest of the world in its use of available biotechnology.

The second of the two-part series by Dr. Jeffrey Silberman emphasizes that cotton demand creation requires more than just promotion.

The goal of the initiative is to provide an economic base for rural women in Kenya, Tanzania Zambia and Mozambique, who would otherwise have no access to credit.

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part feature story on the history of Bt cotton in India from Dr. Keshav Kranthi, director, Central Institute for Cotton Research.

This season alone, nearly 7 million farmers in India purchased 30 million authentic, GEAC-approved Bt cotton seed packets and planted them in 9.4 million hectares.

Biotechnology solutions for a decade of cotton production challenges

NCC Chair Charles Parker says pesticide lawsuit is the wrong way to go about protecting fisheries and wildlife.

Prior mistakes in land and water management still haunt growers in Uzbekistan, but a coalition of organizations is working to promote better practices.

Protests are shaking sub-Saharan Africa's top cotton producer as farmers protest for much higher prices in the coming season.

Organic program brings assistance to 4,000 farmers in need.

As part of its environmental strategy, the major sports and performance retailer has announced its intent to use 100 percent 'Better Cotton' in its products.

With successful harvests in India, Pakistan and Mali, 2010 was a watershed year for the Better Cotton Initiative.

A cutting-edge facility was fully stocked with machinery to test seed quality, germination, lamination--even DNA--but hasn't been used since it was completed in 1997.

Although the markets show cotton to be more than $2/lb, that's the value of cotton in inventories today, not what farmers are receiving for their harvest.

The finishing priocess for the new Water<Less line of jeans from Levi Strauss uses 28 percent less water than normal jeans.

Vision21, a Cotton Foundation project focused in part on setting sustainability and efficiency benchmarks, is close to completing a cotton life cycle inventory.

The global recession has battered many industries, but the production of organically gorwn cotton continues to make strides in the marketplace.

Two not-for-profit firms--Acumen Fund and Root Capital--are using their financial clout to rejuvinate the cotton industry in war-torn Uganda.