Textile Insight

A Range of Cotton Programs for Products and Planet Recently the National Cotton Council announced that the U.S. cotton indus- try has formalized goals to further reduce the environmental impact of cotton grown in the United States. The announcement is another in a series of plans from cotton-minded organizations to improve the sustainability of cotton as a commodity crop and popular textile fiber. For professionals tasked with sourcing sustainable cotton, the task keeps getting easier. The National Cotton Council is the central organization representing the seven segments of the U.S. cotton industry. Recognizing that the continuation of environmental gains is certainly a benefit to all, the goals put forth by the NCC in its formal announcement are straightforward: t "SFEVDUJPOJOUIFBNPVOUPGMBOEOFFEFEUPQSPEVDFBQPVOEPGDPUUPO fiber; t "SFEVDUJPOJOTPJMMPTTCBMBODFECZOFXTPJMGPSNBUJPO t "OJODSFBTFJOXBUFSVTFFGGJDJFODZ NPSFGJCFSQFSWPMVNFPGXBUFS t "SFEVDUJPOJOHSFFOIPVTFHBTFNJTTJPOT t "JODSFBTFJOTPJMDBSCPOJOGJFMETBOE t "SFEVDUJPOJOFOFSHZVTFEUPQSPEVDFTFFEDPUUPOBOEHJOOFEMJOU "Based on the momentum of environmental improvement already achieved by U.S. cotton growers, these goals are absolutely attainable," says Dr. Jesse Daystar, the newly-appointed Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Cotton Incorporated. Daystar points to the Field to Market® National Indicators Report (2016) − an independent assessment of environmental impacts across a range of U.S. agricultural commodities − which shows significant environmental gains for U.S. cotton over the past 30 years. "The National Indicators Report and other studies, such as the Life Cycle Inventory and Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton Fiber and Fabric, helped guide the goal-setting for U.S. cotton and, in turn, the research areas for Cotton Incorporated," explains Daystar. "The U.S. cotton infrastructure is robust and collaborative, and that will go far in developing the means to achieve these goals at a national level." The United States is one of the few cotton-growing countries that has a national-level oversight of farm practices overseen by such government agencies as the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration. A portion of the sale of every bale of U.S.-grown conventional cotton is directed into a collective research and development program aimed at improving the quality and cost-efficiency of U.S. cotton production and processing. The Australian cotton industry operates under a similar system, which is why in 2013, cotton organizations from both countries formed the Cotton LEADS™ program. The program is designed to educate downstream links of the cotton supply chain on the responsible growing practices and environmental gains within the two countries; and how the self-invenstment by growers contributes to those gains. Daystar admits that not every cotton-producing country is blessed with this type of structure, but that other programs exist to help growers in other countries improve reduce their environmental footprint. "Cotton Incorporated is a longterm member of the Better Cotton Initiative, which is doing a great job of reaching out and educating growers around the world about better management practices," says Daystar. "There is also Cotton Cotton Incorporated Cotton Options for Sustainable Sourcing SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION s 4EXTILE )NSIGHT ^ 3EPTEMBER/CTOBER TEXTILEINSIGHTCOM Who We Are Who we are: Cotton Incorporated is the research and marketing company for U.S. cotton growers and importers. Established in 1970 as a not-for- profit company, its mission is to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. The company meets this straightforward mission by identifying efficiency and best practice opportunities along each link of the global cotton supply chain, and through global marketing efforts aimed at consumer and trade audiences. As a company dedicated to providing research and intelligence to the global cotton industry, Cotton Incorporated has offices in strategic textile centers around the world: Hong Kong, Mexico City, New York, Osaka and Shanghai, with the World Headquarters based in Cary, North Carolina. The Cary facility is a state-of-the-art research center that performs or oversees the development of innovations in agricultural practices, fiber processing and analyses, textile chemistry, spinning, weaving, and fabric engineering; and provides in-depth crop, market and consumer marketing analyses to stakeholders. The company also creates and disseminates seasonal surface and color trend directions, and is aggressively researching commercial product uses for the entire cotton plant. To Learn More Cotton Incorporated 6399 Weston Parkway Cary, NC (919) 678-2200 www.cottoninc.com

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