Through sustainable cotton production, we have the opportunity to improve the livelihoods of workers across the supply chain, encourage regenerative farming practices and promote responsible consumption from citizens. As the largest non-food crop, transforming the cotton industry into one that is sustainable and aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is no small feat. This feature acts as a primer to understanding the complexities of cotton. It evaluates the incentives to divesting from conventional to organic fibres and discusses how organic is not guaranteed to be synonymous with sustainable. By reviewing certifications and industry action to date – we explore the intention action gaps that exist and still need to be addressed. Finally, Marzia Lanfranchi, Co-Founder of Cotton Diaries shares her insights into how the industry can scale sustainable solutions.
Calling out conventional cotton
Cotton is the largest non-food crop that is cultivated across the planet, and employs approximately 150 million people in over 80 countries throughout its production process. Many of your clothes will be made of cotton, or at least comprise of a cotton blend, and it is undoubtedly an essential textile for the fashion industry. Common Objective estimate that the annual production value of cotton stood at $41 billion in 2016. Yet, according to the latest Textile Exchange report organic cotton accounts for less than 1% (0.7%) of all cotton production.
Why does that matter? Conventional cotton methods are problematic for both people and planet. They require large quantities of water, are treated with chemicals and most saliently, often fail to pay fair market prices for farmers. India, one of the world’s main cotton markets, has made many farmers reliant on genetically modified (GM) seeds with many falling into debt. This pattern has caused over 270,000 recorded suicides of Indian farmers since 1995.
Elsewhere, China’s cotton farming practices have been slammed for their violation of human rights, so much so, it hit the headlines of mainstream media outlets towards the latter end of 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and minorities have been driven to manual labour in the Xinjiang region to pick cotton, which has prompted Western powers, including the UK and US, to enforce a crackdown on all cotton sourced from the area.
The many stages of cotton production means supply chains are more likely to be exposed to corruption and less sustainable processes. This is because cotton travels from farmer to ginner (where the cotton fibres are deseeded) then to a spinning mill and then to manufacturer, before it is received by a brand or retailer.
Is organic cotton the answer?
Unlike its conventional counterpart, organic cotton offers a viable solution to achieving a more sustainable cotton industry. It is however, not an instant panacea.
Organic cotton can be defined as the fibre that is produced to the requirements of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Standards (IFOAM) which promotes production systems that sustain healthy soils, ecosystems and protects people. The European Commission also set out a strict guideline of what can be deemed as organic and this includes avoiding the use of toxic or persistent synthetic agrochemicals and GM seeds.
For those looking to research further on organic farming principles, an important term to remember is ‘In Conversion’. This refers to land that is currently undergoing the mandatory 3-year conversion period that it takes to turn conventional into organic land.
What are the benefits of organic cotton? In addition to reducing pollution of waterways and energy consumption, regenerative farming practices can provide sustainable socio-economic stability for supply chain workers. I am conscious that there are a plethora of varying statistics and data on the comparative environmental benefits of organic versus conventional cotton. The Global Organic Textile Standard says organic cotton can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 94% and also decrease the chances of acid rain by 70%.
It is encouraging to note that global organic cotton production has risen by 56% between 2019 to 2020. Interestingly, 97% of global production is concentrated in 7 countries including Greece, Egypt and India, where the latter is the predominant contributor. 2019 also represented the second largest harvest on record of organic cotton. This positive increase in supply is important as it can provide an opportunity to help tackle climate change and give back to farmers, if they are paid the correct market price.
Cotton certifications – not so safe and sound
How can retailers, brands and citizens decipher between what is conventional and what is organic cotton? Certifications and standards have played a leading role in distinguishing the variations. From GOTS, OCS, BCI to Fairtrade, Cotton made in Africa as well as programmes such as Reel Cotton, Supima, e3 Basf, Cleaner Cotton…the list goes on.
Certification, however, is not a black and white issue as Marzia Lanfracnhi, Co-Founder of Cotton Diaries pinpoints and there are many nuances to consider.
For example, following the events of Autumn 2020, Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) suspended its activities with licensed farmers in the Xinjiang region where over a fifth of its ‘better’ cotton was produced. This is problematic – because many retailers including the likes of John Lewis and Marks & Spencer have sold BCI cotton products to citizens under the pretence that they are more sustainable. Certain cotton certifications, such as BCI, do not trace the cotton fibre fully across the supply chain or audit every facility which leaves it open to human rights abuses as well as less sustainable farming practices. We know annual audits only provide a brief snapshot into the realities of production and certification bodies should proactively and regularly assess the supply chain to move beyond a tick box exercise.
Tracing the fibre at each step of the value chain has many benefits. It allows brands to conduct impact assessments throughout the life cycle, identify risks, and treat them at that particular stage. It is important to note that not all cotton from one specific certification body is the same, this can add further complexities. For example, Cotton Made in Africa is a standard that has two variations; mass balance and hard identify. Mass balance allows for the mixing of certified materials with products that may not be certified at any stage across the supply chain – this can distort the volume of organic fibre in the end product. On the other hand, hard identity does not permit the mixing of cotton at any stage of production and uses an online tracking system to help trace the cotton back across the supply chain. Organisations like Oritain, who are using their scientific methodologies to trace fibre from end to end provide much hope, as do due diligence programmes initiated by the likes of Outland Denim. Read more on rebuilding trust in supply chains here.
Not all organic cotton certifications have put in place pricing mechanisms that can guarantee farmers the fair price of cotton to cover their costs of inputs or income. This poses the pertinent question, can organic really be more sustainable if it doesn’t pay the farmers correctly? After all access to decent work and economic growth (SDG8) is vital for a prosperous future.
Independent analyst and consultant Veronica Bates Kassatly notes that “It is perfectly pointless for the apparel sector to spend tens of millions of dollars on pushing farmers to adopt organic cotton, if for the farmers, it does not make sound economic sense.”
Protecting the rights of farmers has never been more topical, given the protests rippling through India in opposition to reforms that leave them vulnerable and without regulatory support.
For more on the limitations to certifications across industries, read Changing Markets ‘The false promise of certification’ report here.
Are the fashion industry’s pledges for sustainable cotton working?
In recent years, the fashion industry has instigated a number of pledges to transform the cotton industry. In 2017, the Sustainable Cotton Pledge was initiated by the Prince of Wales and united 72 brands and retailers who pledged for 100% cotton to come from more sustainable sources by 2025. What precisely do we mean by ‘more’? Is that like BCI tainted ‘better’ cotton from Xinjiang, China? It is important that the fashion industry turns pledges into action instead of being leveraged as a PR exercise.
Elsewhere, the Uzbek Cotton Pledge has signatories committed to fighting how cotton farmers are dictated to. Harsh practices mean they are often controlled on the price of inputs (seeds and fertilizers), irrigation practices as well as what to plant (GM crops) and when. Not only this, they are then subject to selling their crops for below market price.
The Turkmen Cotton Pledge exists to tackle similar issues related to forced picking quotas, child labour and violation of human rights.
Do these pledges work to bring about the change of pace that is necessary to transform the cotton industry? By nature, because pledges are a softer form of commitment, there is a promise but no formal regulation holding the signatories to account. Only time will tell how effective they will be in practice.
The call for sustainable fibres
Land used for cotton production only covers 2.4% of the world’s arable land yet it accounts for 6% of global pesticide use – this represents a huge negative externality for our environment.
We need to move away from conventional cotton not just for humanitarian reasons, but to create a sustainable and organic textile that is a viable alternative to petroleum based synthetic fibres.
Man-made non certified cellulosic fibres are chemically intensive and shedding microfibres into water sources at an alarming rate. According to the Institution of Mechanical engineers, 35% of microplastics released into the world’s ocean are from synthetic textiles. Further evidence is the recent study of the Arctic sea which found an average of 40 microplastic particles per cubic meter, 92% of which were microfibres. The industry should therefore be moving at pace to create viable sustainable fibres that can replace harmful materials.
Sustainable cotton offers a seed of hope to pursue agricultural practices that equip stakeholders to create climate resilient crops and socio-economic stability across the world.
In Conversation with Marzia Lanfranchi, Founder of Cotton Diaries
With a background in material sourcing and sustainability, Marzia has worked for the likes of Burberry and Fat Face. In addition to her work for Cotton Diaries, Marzia works as a consultant and is currently the Intelligence Director for Transformers Foundation, an organisation that unifies the voices of the denim industry and its ideas for positive change.
Marzia and I had the opportunity to discuss the story of Cotton Diaries and its salient solutions driven approach to unifying the cotton industry. We spoke about how we can unlock the potential of sustainable cotton to positively impact growers and suppliers across the value chain, as well as the exponential positive effect this can have on the environment.
Q: What sparked you to start Cotton Diaries?
A: The journey of Cotton Diaries began after my time working in CSR and material sourcing, I had many questions about the sustainable sourcing of cotton, but couldn’t get to the heart of the answers. I left my job and went on a journey to cotton farms, spending time in California visiting and speaking with organic, conventional and BCI farmers. I wanted to relay the stories of the cotton community to raise awareness of what sustainable cotton really is and the current challenges. I visited many people with solutions, whether they were from certified farms or not. We would discuss for example, what the water issues were and their specific solutions. I originally intended for Cotton Diaries to be more directed towards citizens, however realised this was a business issue too. My desire wasn’t just to listen to my own bubble but to reach external people on the ground for solutions. I wanted more than for Cotton Diaries to be simply a storytelling platform, but instead a way to create impact.
Q: Tell me more about the mission of Cotton Diaries.
A: There are 3 key pillars to our mission.
The first is storytelling and driving awareness. Simon and I are keen to explore solutions that exist and dig deeper through human centric storytelling. We want to share how these solutions can be scaled through written anecdotes and videos.
The second pillar of Cotton Diaries focuses on the consolidation of expertise. Our community of experts, that extend beyond just conventional or just organic cotton, come together for knowledge sharing and use the network to fuel ideas. Whether they are breeders, farmers, cotton traders, the Cotton Diaries community is a place of multi-faceted conversation. Whilst, Textile Exchange has roundtables for organic cotton, what happens if you want to join the conversation and are not yet part of the organic cotton industry? Our intent is to be a-political and home to decentralised network that can add to the conversation about sustainable cotton.
The final pillar is simply to guide change. Through our consulting service, we assist brands and suppliers with the next stage on their sustainable sourcing journey as they look to go beyond certification.
Q: How influential do you think technology is in the pursuit of change in the cotton industry?
A: Technology is definitely a tool to help facilitate a change in the cotton industry, but must be used by teams with the correct intentions. It should be used as one amongst many different ways to make the industry more sustainable and we shouldn’t rely too heavily on it.
For example, if there was a technological tool that identified fake certifications, this would be helpful but wouldn’t eradicate the problem entirely as it wouldn’t get rid of the poverty issue for farmers.
It’s important to remember, there is no one size fits all approach and each business case will be different.
Q: What responsibility do you think retailers and brands have to go beyond certifications and standards?
A: I believe that organisations must opt for a due diligence approach. This involves pro-active behaviour to go above and beyond compliance, then identify risks and prioritise the most important areas that are having the largest negative impact. Certifications can help companies understand a portion of the supply chain, however they need to eagerly seek out methods to make their operations more transparent.
Marzia helpfully referenced this post by Denim Dudes, which outlines 9 steps to clean up your supply chain summarised below:
1. Map your supply chain
2. Understand your production and sourcing models
3. Manage suppliers outside of your direct control
4. Risk assessment and ranking
5. Identify and address the most urgent problems first
6. Traceability
7. Impact assessment and impact reporting
8. Prevention and solution
9. Review and report
To learn more about the mission of Cotton Diaries, click here. Be sure to subscribe to their newsletter for regular cotton industry updates.
Recommended resources
The conversation about sustainable cotton is constantly evolving, here are some recommended resources where you can learn more:
https://www.veronicabateskassatly.com/read/lca-misuse
https://textileexchange.org/2020-organic-cotton-market-report-ocmr-released/
https://supplycompass.com/sustainable-fashion-guides/
https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/uk-xinjiang-forced-labur-new-measures
https://apparelinsider.com/is-this-the-end-for-sustainable-cotton-rankings/
https://apparelinsider.com/we-need-data-not-more-cotton-initiatives/
https://www.commonobjective.co/article/sustainable-sourcing-masterclasses
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/nz0g306v8c/china-tainted-cotton
Tune into the Fashion Roundtable X ShowStudio panel discussion where alongside designer Bethany Williams, Marzia and I discussed why fashion is a global conversation.
If you found this article interesting, read about why we need to decarbonise our supply chains.
For more on materials, head to the Compare Ethics blog where you can read articles on recycled polyester and modal.
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