London – The fashion
industry has yet to fully embrace sustainable cotton, which poses a serious
threat to the future of the sustainable cotton market. Although several
fashion retailers, such as People Tree, Filippa K and Marks & Spencers,
have shared their goals to increase the usage of sustainable cotton, the
uptake of the material by fashion brands in general is severely lagging
behind production of the cotton, according to new research commissioned by
PAN UK, Solidaridad and WWF.
Production of sustainable cotton has never been higher. In 2014 it reached
2,173,000 tonnes, accounting for 8 percent of the total global supply and
is estimated to rise to 13 percent of the global supply for 2015. “Buying
more sustainable cotton has never been easier”, pointed out Richard
Holland, Director, WWF’s Market Transformation Initiative. “Leading
companies like IKEA and H&M are showing it’s possible to use 100 percent
more sustainable cotton in their products within a couple of years.”
However, fashion companies uptake of sustainable cotton has fallen far
behind the production rate, as many labels lack fixed targets to source
more ethical cotton. In spite of at least 12 global fashion companies
committing to source 100 percent more sustainable cotton, only 17 percent
of all sustainable cotton is sold under the label. The remaining 83 percent
is reportedly sold as conventional cotton.
“Lots of sustainable cotton is available but frustratingly it is not being
sourced and bought as such”, argues Isabelle Roger, Global Cotton Programme
Manager at Solidaridad. “International clothing brands and retailers have a
crucial role to play. Without much larger orders from retailers, there is a
risk that farmers will abandon sustainable growing practices, the
opportunity to transform the cotton market will be lost, and negative
effects on people and nature will persist.”
Cotton is grown in approximately 80 countries around the world, with the
top producing countries including China, India, Pakistan, Brazil and
Uzbekistan. It is a vital raw material for the textile and garment industry,
accounting for 32 percent of all fibers used. 33 million hectares around
the world are planted with cotton, accounting for 2.5 percent of global
arable land.
Sustainability issues linked to regular cotton production include the
widespread use of pesticides, with 6.2 percent of global pesticide sales
linked to cotton production, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion,
contamination and intensive water use, as 73 percent of global cotton
production
is currently dependent on irrigation.
“Cotton needs cleaning up. Conventional production requires the use of
large amounts of water and pesticides. Sourcing more sustainable cotton is
the best way forward”, said Keith Tyrell, Director at Pesticide Action
Network UK. While many cotton farmers around the world are driven into debt
due to the cost of pesticides and fertilisers, sustainabl cotton production
also has the potential to help farmers move out of poverty by providing
them with a stable income and improved working conditions.
For more sustainable cotton to break through to the mainstream, production
and supply need to increase, and this can only happen if greater demand is
generated and leads to more sourcing.