COTTON

Cotton is a soft fiber that grows in bolls, or protective cases, on cotton plants and it is one of the oldest fibers cultivated for textiles. Cotton farming accounts for 2.3% of the world’s arable land use across approximately 75 mostly developing countries, with China and India being the global leaders.(1) Being a key cash crop, cotton provides income for millions of farmers, but it is also responsible for severe social and environmental impacts. The global average water use for 1kg of cotton (equivalent to 4 T-shirts) is 10,000 liters.(2,3) Although cotton has certain tolerance to drought and heat, water supply increases yields and improves quality and fiber length. As a result, it is estimated that nearly 3/4 of cotton is irrigated.(1) This has damaging consequences on the water supply and local water balances in regions that already suffer from water scarcity, e.g. Egypt, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Australia. In addition, cotton is highly vulnerable to pest infestation and the cultivation of conventional cotton (as opposed to genetically modified (GM) crops, organic cotton or Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton) relies on more pesticides per unit than any other crop.(4) Toxic chemicals used in cotton cultivation cause water pollution and have long-term impacts on soil fertility, pest resistance and biodiversity loss. They also pose serious health hazards for local communities and especially for workers handling them, including child laborers.(1-4) However, the physical comfort and technical properties of cotton are hard to match and currently no comparable alternatives exist in the market.(5) The best available options include organic cotton, BCI cotton and other certified, more responsibly grown cotton. Yet, these options still cover only a fraction of the cotton market.(5)