Latest news with #CottonConnect
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Surprising Future Of (Sustainable) Fashion
Zara Summers explains fuchsia leggings made from captured CO2 (l to r) Joan Michelson, Summers, ... More Robin Currey, Alison Ward at Earth Day Women's Summit - 4-22-2025 We may not think one pair of leggings or one t-shirt or cotton dresses that we buy make a difference in the planet or the economy, but they do, according to innovative women leaders in the fashion supply chain at The Earth Day Women's Summit last week at EarthX2025. How can they tell? Some items are labeled. Some of the products sold by LuluLemon, or the parkas and fleece jackets sold by Craig Hoppers in the UK are labeled as CO2 Renew, for example, because they are made from captured CO2 through a process developed by LanzaTech, their Chief Science Officer Zara Summers, Ph.D. explained at the Summit. Summers previously led the ExxonMobil biosciences division for 10 years. 'It's ask yourself, what am I buying today? Is there an alternative that, where this carbon has a second life?' she suggested. The United Nations says the garment industry is the second highest CO2-emitting industry, and that garments make up 7% of our landfills and put 500,000 tons of microplastics into the oceans each year. Screenshot - UN Fashion Alliance Summers explained that the LanzaTech process, oversimplified, is leveraging microbes that turn CO2 into ethanol. That ethanol can become sustainable aviation fuel, for example. 'It's actually a building block of everything that petroleum is used for today,' she said. Joan Michelson holds up CO2-based T-shirt while Zara Summers explains it - at The Earth Day Women's ... More Summit - 4-22-2025 She added that they can make 'pretty much any synthetic fiber that you can get from fossil, we have a path to create.' Then she showed the audience two pieces of clothing she says they made from captured CO2. 'This running shirt started off as a carbon emission from a steel mill in China. And so we're able to, instead of pumping that carbon monoxide and dioxide directly into the atmosphere, we pump it into our massive, kind of like a brewery, but cooler, huge, huge 500,000 liter tanks of living, breathing, spinning out ethanol microbes. And so we harness that.' They also partnered with REI on products. The other clothing is a pair of fuchsia-purple leggings by Athleta of Lululemon (pictured above), which she said were also made from captured CO2. She added that Lululemon has a stated goal of having ~25% of the polyester they use in these leggings 'to be from emissions produced ethanol.' She said it's 'a massive step change.' In the garment industry, 80% of the workers are women. Summers said that she and her team visit the factories using their products because, 'we follow through the whole supply chain.' CottonConnect - women & cotton & climate report 2025 'They (manufacturers and retailers) need to know the people in their supply chains and know where their cotton's coming from,' Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect said in a session at the Summit about food, fashion and agriculture in the face of the climate crisis. 'We've started with the farmer and started tracking the cotton from that farmer up in the supply chain.' By using sophisticated tracking systems, they can tell which farm cotton is sourced from in the CottonConnect network. 'We work with people like Primark, Carrefour, big French retailer across Europe and Asia, really. How do we hold them account in their supply chains?' Now they have a QR code, too. 'So when the farmer sells their cotton, that QR code scans that and it goes up into our tracking system,' adding that at this point, 'the equivalent of 1.7 billion t-shirts are being traced through our system.' CottonConnect is a global organization that trains small-scale farmers in regenerative and sustainable agricultural techniques and technologies, especially female farmers in India, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Peru and Pakistan. They also create partnerships with fashion brands to help those farmers bring their cotton to market. In addition, 'now there's some really clever techs through a couple of companies. There's one which is an isotope test. So you can test the soil in the village, and then the isotope tells you that that cotton is from that soil in that village.' Alison Ward speaking on panel - The Earth Day Women's Summit - 4-22-2025 'There's also a DNA marker that you can spray on the cotton and then it goes through all of the washers and all of the different processing, and you can tell that that is the unique DNA marker that was sprayed at a particular point in the supply chain. So technology's really leaping forward,' Ward explained. Cotton makes up about 25% of global textile production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and brands are being pressured by consumers – 85% of whom are women – to use more sustainable and ethical business practices. Even in today's economy, a 2024 study by PwC found that a majority of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably-produced products. 'But right now, just 30% of the world's cotton is classed as 'sustainable',' according to CottonConnect. Paying attention to these steps on the manufacturing side, and buying aligned with our values, are ways we as consumers drive the market.
Forbes
10-04-2025
- General
- Forbes
Inside Fashion's Regenerative Cotton, And Brands Paying Green Premiums
Materra regenerative cotton farmers Manjiben, Rekhaba and Manguben, in Gujarat, India. Cotton, comprising a quarter of today's fashion, connects us–through fabric–to farms in 80 countries, tended by over 32 million farmers and supporting hundreds of millions of rural households. Cotton's had a bad rap through misquoted 'unquenchable thirst' stats and pesticide use guesstimates. While the stats are usually wrong, there are many acres of room for improvement, and conventional farming's high greenhouse gas emissions rates are pushing some brands to partner with regenerative cotton solutions to source low-impact regenerative cotton. Today, cotton is mainly grown conventionally, requiring synthetic chemicals to kill pests and ensure high production volumes ('yields'), which damages soil health and biodiversity. Organic cotton (grown without any chemicals) has struggled to expand beyond 1% of the market due to costs, constraints on farming flexibility, and sometimes yields. It's hoped that regenerative agriculture–a 'middle ground' between organic and conventional farming–could sustain cotton production and farmer livelihoods and restore soil health, enabling the land to fulfill its role as one of Earth's critical carbon sinks in the fight against climate change. Regenerative farming is a western science-based toolkit of actions that are taken in response to what the soil and surrounding ecosystem are 'saying' upon measurement and analysis, in contrast to conventional 'heavy handed' widespread chemical use to expedite cropping and reduce manual labour. Regenerative farming allows synthetic chemicals to save crops only when economic viability would otherwise be lost. While cotton is farmed worldwide, the manner and social consequences of farming differ enormously. For example, Australia's industrial cotton farms average 400 hectares and employ 7,000 people, while India's 6 million cotton farmers work 1.5-hectare plots manually, often also growing food for their families. Regenerative cotton field in Gujarat, India. India produces most of the world's cotton, which is cultivated by farming families who became owners of the land they worked after the British left in the 1940s. However, the colonial influence is still felt in the form of western-developed seeds (many local cotton seed varieties are now extinct) accompanied by obligatory 'Western' chemicals. Farmers say their forebears initially enjoyed super yields, but the soil has hardened over time, and yields have plummeted, leading to more chemical use. Growing their food on the same land, they are fearful of the chemicals they and their family ingest. Some farmers in India are now turning to regenerative practices enabled by training and monitoring from organizations, including Materra and Cotton Connect, who work directly with fashion brands to secure orders for regenerative cotton. Hallmarks of the regenerative cotton farming toolkit in India include combining local plants, leaves, animal dung, and earthworms to make biofertilizers and 'vermicompost'; sewing 'sacrificial plants' between cotton plants to draw away pests and eliminate the need for chemical pesticides; as well as pheromone traps, which capture male bollworms and prevent them from procreating and attacking the cotton. Another key feature is 'low tillage,' meaning not disturbing the soil between crop sewing, allowing it to retain its moisture and microorganism activity, improving the soil's health, moisture, and carbon retention. CottonConnect REEL farmer holds vermicompost on their field in Gujarat, India. These processes result in more physical work for farmers and more vigilant and regular placement of biofertilizers and natural pest-dissuasion devices. This eliminates or drastically reduces the cost of fertilizers and pesticides and the need for water, which is often pumped by electric or diesel generators, thereby saving water use, energy costs, and emissions. Synthetic chemicals are used only to save a crop that would otherwise be lost, passing the farmer's economic viability threshold. Cotton Connect launched its three-year REEL regenerative farming training in 2021 and has delivered training to more than 250,000 farmers across its programs and countries. The organisation's CEO, Alison Ward, previously spearheaded the adoption of Fairtrade at Unilever and other corporations, joining the cotton social enterprise in 2013. Ward says that until recent years, sustainable farming "was about doing less bad, but 'regenerative' is a farming system of positive environmental solutions and ecosystems." CottonConnect's regenerative training program was developed with local partners in India, where field executives (often agronomy graduates from local universities) work with farmers throughout the cotton growing season. Farm and crop data collection and monitoring is conducted by a local partner, the CottonConnect evaluation team and an external verification agency. CottonConnect applies no 'green premium' to its regenerative cotton–instead following commodity cotton pricing. "Brands pay for the training and farmer education, and we have left the market to operate itself," Ward explains. Operationally, CottonConnect forecasts collective demand ahead of the season from customers (including Primark, Boohoo, Lindex, and Carrefour) ensuring enough supply. "We wanted to create demand and drive accountability [at brands]," says Ward, adding that when floods decimated cotton crops in Pakistan a few years ago, "we were able to talk to customers about the group of farmers impacted," thereby avoiding a rash sourcing exit by fashion executives. A challenge the program faces is traceability to prove that brands actually receive regenerative cotton, since cotton is a commodity traded and processed in a single supply chain, agnostic to how it was farmed. Traditionally, certificates equating the volume of a particular type of cotton entering and exiting the supply chain–a 'mass balance' approach–have been used. Still, cotton mixing during processing is common, with such certifications highly fallible to errors and fraud. CottonConnect REEL regenerative cotton farmer Nitaben Vijaybhai Tadavi "We are deliberately not [using] mass balance; we use Tracebale [software], which farmers link to via a QR code [to enter their crop and harvest data], and we have extra people in the [cotton processing facilities] to ensure data [accuracy and reconciliation]." "Traceable is the only technology used across all stakeholders," explains Ward. The software platform has 580,000 registered cotton farmers and is used by 18 fashion retailers. However, it's conceivable that mixing might still occur, given the lack of segmentation in trade and processing facilities. CottonConnect reports impressive aggregated impact reduction across its regenerative programs in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, and Turkey. In 2024, an average increase of 6.1% in cotton yield with a 14.1% reduction in farmer costs (increasing profitability by 26.1%) was reported. Synthetic pesticide use decreased by 21.4% and fertilizer use by 17.5%, with 23% lower carbon emissions per acre (0.4 hectares), according to statistics verified by FLOCER. Materra, a for-profit tech startup helmed by Edward Brial, is headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Its regenerative training program is delivered by the startup's own team of local agronomists and scientists and is underpinned by its proprietary mobile and web app, Co:farm. "We are a tech company, [whereas] other organizations and multi-stakeholder initiatives are trying to connect to [external] dashboards [for program management and reporting]," says Bridal. "Materra built the first digitization solution called Co:Farm, which aggregates over 300 data points to optimize resource use and sends automated messages through Whatsapp [to farmers] to deliver the most holistic services, cheaply". Materra regenerative cotton delivered to partner gin in India. Uniquely, Materra has established a segregated supply chain through dedicated delivery and processing slots at gins (where the harvested cotton is pre-processed before being transported to the yarn spinner). This arrangement avoids mixing with other cotton fibers, ensures homogenous fiber length, and ultimately delivers a superior yarn quality, says Kuldeep Khatri, Head of Environmental Ethics at Materra. Materra farmers are paid a premium by brands for their cotton in a direct farm-to-brand arrangement. Farmers save money due to reduced chemicals, fertiliser, and water use. Another unique feature is that farmers receive bonus premiums on top of the agreed green premium when implementing regenerative practices that exceed the baseline requirements, further improving biodiversity and soil health on their land. Materra has established direct sourcing partnerships between brands, including Mango and Ecoalf, and farmers clustered across India. "In Gujarat, where we're working, there is a deep-rooted farming tradition. Through our collaboration with Materra, we're helping farmers transition to regenerative cotton to restore soil health, reduce water use by up to 80%, and [gain a more] resilient and secure livelihood," says Carolina Blazquez, Head of Innovation and Sustainability at Ecoalf. "These farmers are the foundation of the fashion industry, yet they're often overlooked—supporting them is just as important as choosing better materials." Ecoalf team inspecting regenerative cotton in Gujarat, India. Commencing with 23 farmers in 2019, today, over 4,000 farmers follow Materra's regenerative program. In 2023, Materra reported (from its Mansa farm cluster in Gujarat) a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per kg of cotton lint, a 7% reduction in water use, and a 12% increase in profitability. "When we talk about sustainable fashion, we need to look beyond the finished product—true change starts with those who cultivate the raw materials," says Blazquez, signaling a dedication to direct sourcing that has featured in several brand strategies across natural fibers including wool in recent years. But is Materra's approach scalable, and will brands pay the 'green premium' of up to 15% to farmers? "We're pushing the limits of what can be done on the ground, [making us] best at serving [brands'] needs and reducing the burden of [sustainability] reporting. We aim to be a major player in the market by 2032," says Brial. Materra's CEO alludes to European regulations and the new era of corporate compliance, which promises unprecedented extended producer responsibility (falling on brands) and demands better supply chain impact and risk management. Brands adopting regenerative materials know this, and the data offered by regenerative farming is a benefit compared with sourcing data-scant conventional cotton. The next challenge for these regenerative cotton programs will be scaling to achieve mass adoption and market share.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CottonConnect 2024 report shows CO2 savings, green practices expansion
A key finding from the report is drawn from the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which examined the effects of sustainable farming practices implemented under the REEL Cotton Programme on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The LCA revealed that by cutting down on chemical fertilisers, lowering water usage, and implementing new irrigation techniques, farmers could achieve a potential 35% reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions. REEL Cotton Programme's achievements for the year 2023-24 include · A reduction of chemical pesticide usage by 21.4% · A 17.5% cutback in chemical fertiliser application · A 21.9% drop in water consumption. The company says that these practices not only safeguard environmental ecosystems but also enhance cotton farmers' incomes through lower input costs and increased crop yields. Reel regenerative CottonConnect has furthered its commitment to regenerative agriculture by establishing the REEL Regenerative Centre of Excellence across various markets in 2022-23 to test and assess the outcome of regenerative cotton farming. This initiative has successfully educated over 250,000 farmers in regenerative techniques, yielding significant environmental improvements in 2023-24. An example from India's REEL Regenerative programme showed a 41% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to traditional farms. The organisation has reached a milestone by training more than 800,000 farmers to date. The Impact Report 2024 also marks the first inclusion of programme results from Türkiye, reflecting CottonConnect's recent expansion into this new region. Cottonconnect's initiatives on women's empowerment goal For over ten years, CottonConnect has been championing gender and social equality through its Women in Cotton programme. This initiative has empowered over 270,000 women in 2023-24 alone, providing them with essential education in literacy, numeracy, and health and safety. The programme targets 500,000 participants by 2030. Through the Women Climate Change Ambassadors Programme, CottonConnect also trained over 1,200 women farmers in climate-resilient farming methods that maintain yield and profitability while reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. CottonConnect has already met its 2025 goal for complete traceability within the REEL Cotton supply chain ahead of schedule, showcasing its dedication to transparency and sustainable practices. As per the report, the cotton consultancy achieved the target by recording cotton transactions along the supply chain in its own TraceBale software tool. The tool traced 193,468 MT lint cotton in 2023-24. CottonConnect CEO Alison Ward said: 'We have seen first-hand the impact of climate change on some of the most vulnerable in the supply chain, and the time for action has never been more urgent. We now have data that shows the significant potential of our farm level programs in climate change mitigation. We hope to encourage and help others in the textile industry to work on increasing responsible production by supporting smallholder farmers in adopting our REEL practices.' Recently, CottonConnect also published a report that underscores the role played by female cotton farmers in the shift towards sustainable agricultural practices. "CottonConnect 2024 report shows CO2 savings, green practices expansion" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Roundtable aims to unpack regenerative cotton farming in Egypt
The discussions highlighted the importance of brands offering financial and technical support, as well as opening markets for cotton farmers in Egypt adopting regenerative practices. The conference brought together more than 70 industry leaders and experts from both the public and private sectors. The forum included presentations from representatives of the hosting organisations and a panel discussion with experts such as Khaled Schuman, CEO of CEA; Dr Abd ElNasser Radwan, director of the Cotton Research Institute; Dr Hesham Hamoud, consultant for CottonConnect; and Sara Berlese, chief technical coordinator at UNIDO. A key topic was the role of technological innovations and biotechnologies, such as precision agriculture, satellite imaging, biofertilisers, and bioinsecticides, in improving efficiency and productivity in cotton farming. Egypt's cotton industry, a key agricultural export contributing 3% to the country's GDP, plays a crucial role in global supplies, accounting for 25-30% of Extra Long Staple (ELS) and Long Staple (LS) cotton. However, the sector faces growing challenges due to climate change, including rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and a higher frequency of extreme weather events. CottonConnect CEO Alison Ward said: 'We are delighted to be able to bring together so many experts for this event to share their valuable insights and begin to create a roadmap that will ensure a more sustainable and successful future for Egyptian cotton and the global textile industry' Khaled Schuman added: 'The discussion at the roundtable was a step in the right direction towards improving regenerative practices for the sustainability of Egyptian Cotton. I feel optimistic about the future of the programme and what we can accomplish together.' The REEL Regenerative programme currently underway in Egypt aims to provide comprehensive insights into effective application of these practices across key cotton-growing regions. Regenerative agriculture's holistic approach not only seeks to address ecological concerns but also aims to support farmers' income diversification and climate resilience. Cotton Research Institute director Dr Abdel Nasser Radwan said: "Through collaboration with CottonConnect and the Cotton Egypt Association, we are not only sharing technical expertise but also ensuring that Egyptian cotton remains at the forefront of sustainability. Regenerative farming plays a crucial role in improving soil health, optimizing water consumption, enhancing biodiversity, and mitigating the impact of climate change—reducing the use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which ultimately improves farmers' livelihoods and safeguards the future of the industry. By strengthening our supply chain through innovation and training, we are paving the way for a more resilient and globally competitive cotton sector." In October last year, CottonConnect and the CEA formalised a memorandum of understanding (MOU), to increase awareness and expand regenerative cotton programs across Egypt, focusing on sustainability and the empowerment of local farmers. "Roundtable aims to unpack regenerative cotton farming in Egypt " was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
