World Cotton Day

In today’s fashion and textile industries , the demand for transparency is becoming increasingly important. Stakeholders are more invested in supply chains, demanding verifiable proof of sustainable and responsible practices . Leading the way is the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol , the sustainability program for U.S.cotton growers and traceability platform for all U.S. Cotton. Through six years of increasing grower enrollment, new global brand and retailer members, and a robust data-driven framework, the program is helping to build a more resilient and responsible cotton supply chain.  The foundation of any agricultural sustainability program lies with its growers. Despite a challenging growing environment in the 2023/2024 crop year, the Trust Protocol achieved its sixth consecutive yearof record growth , with a 14% increase in grower enrollment and an 18% increase in planted acres. So, what is driving this momentum? The benefits for growers are tangible and multifaceted. They rec...

It has been six years since the first World Cotton Day , which is celebrated every 7 October . The event was not created by clothing brands or fashion enthusiasts. It was brought to life by the World Trade Organisation upon the request of four  African cotton-producing nations – Benin,Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali – to recognise and celebrate their work. World Cotton Day started with farmers. While this is always a special date for the team at the Better Cotton Initiative(BCI) , as we take stock of progress and look to the future, this year feels even more momentous, as it also marks 20 years since the inception of our organisation. In 2005, a WWF-led multistakeholder roundtable met to discuss the future of sustainability in our sector, and the Better Cotton Initiative was born. Fast forward two decades and BCI now manages a global field-level standard, tailoring its programmes to support the needs of specific farming communities across 15 countries, and accounting for nearly a q...

What is ‘sustainable’? We all think we know it, instinctively, because it is part of our modern lexicon. But do we? It can be even more confusing when mentioning the term ‘regenerative’. How do we then dig down to defining sustainable agriculture? Sustainable cotton? Does sustainable cotton exist in a vacuum as a single crop? Or does it need to be sustainable in a wider farming, processing and rights system that covers labour, women’s, and human rights? All standards do have some common foundations – and all interpret them, which explains why there are many standards, and why there can be major differences in focus and adoption of elements between them, defined by practicalities, as well as geography. The principles come from theories, including agroecology, which will sometimes cover non-production related items as well as farming. But Integrated Pest Management (IPM) focuses specifically on the agricultural and ecosystem elements. Regenerative, coming in many shapes and forms, can va...

Thee USDA’s first survey-based estimate of the 2024/25 U.S. cotton crop is 15.1 million bales. Although 11 percent below last month’s projection, the estimate is 25 percent above last season’s final estimate of 12.1 million bales. The 2024 cotton planted area estimate of nearly 11.2 million acres is based on all available data, including the latest certified acreage from the Farm Service Agency. This season’s cotton planted area is 9 percent above 2023/24, as cotton prices heading into planting season were more favorable relative to other crops. With improved moisture conditions compared with a year ago across much of Texas—the largest cotton-producing State—the early-season U.S. abandonment projection is reduced compared with last year. A U.S. abandonment rate of 23 percent projected for 2024/25 is below the year before and less than half the 47 percent record for 2022/23. U.S. cotton harvested acreage is forecast at 8.6 million acres, the highest in 3 years. The U.S. cotton y...