COTTON USA – Natural, Renewable & Sustainable
COTTON USA - the natural choice!
Consumer awareness of and interest in environmentally friendly products has increased in the past few years, as more products are labeled with “organic”, “sustainable” or “green”. In this increasingly environmentally-conscious world, cotton is the logical choice for today’s consumer.
Cotton is a natural, renewable and biodegradable fiber. Cotton has been used to dress and protect mankind for at least 7,000 years.
Today cotton is the fabric of a global industry that provides apparel such as T-shirts, lingerie and denim, home textiles such as sheets and towels, and even food and medical products. Cotton surrounds, comforts and nourishes us on a daily basis.
To ensure people can continue to reap cotton’s natural benefits, today and in the future, the U.S. cotton industry is committed to producing cotton in a sustainable manner, taking into account the economy, environment and social responsibility.
Sustainable agricultural production must consider a growing economy, protection for the environment, and social responsibility. The most sustainable choice is the one where the net effects come closest to meeting these goals.
Today cotton is the fabric of a global industry that provides apparel such as T-shirts, lingerie and denim, home textiles such as sheets and towels, and even food and medical products. Cotton surrounds, comforts and nourishes us on a daily basis.
To ensure people can continue to reap cotton’s natural benefits, today and in the future, the U.S. cotton industry is committed to producing cotton in a sustainable manner, taking into account the economy, environment and social responsibility.
Sustainable agricultural production must consider a growing economy, protection for the environment, and social responsibility. The most sustainable choice is the one where the net effects come closest to meeting these goals.
Sustainability seeks to balance quality life, environment and economics.
- Modern technology minimizes the environmental impact of cotton production. U.S. farming with modern techniques means there is now less land, water and energy use, less soil erosion, and reduced pesticide application per unit output. Renewable production annually already saves over 1 billion liters of tractor fuel, 907 million metric tons of U.S. soil, and limits greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions.
- U.S. cotton can supply the world’s increasing demand for natural fibers on less land. Modern seed technology and conservation tillage practices help U.S. farmers yield more cotton while using less land and resources. U.S. cotton farmers have been able to supply the market and meet annual rise in fiber demand on reduced land area, freeing land for conservation and other uses.
- U.S. cotton production uses a small compared with other crops. Farmers who live and work on their land since generations have every personal and economic incentive to use fewer chemicals in production. Globally, only 8.5% of all pesticides applied to crops are used to grow cotton, while fruits and vegetables consumed about 29% and cereal crops including rice and corn about 35%.
- From a chemical residue standpoint, the amount on raw U.S. cotton fiber is as small as on organic cotton and satisfies eco-label standards. Latest 2008 test results for chemical substances on raw cotton fiber from the Bremen Cotton Exchange in Germany prove again that all tested cotton, including U.S. cotton, satisfies EU Eco-Label standards and clearly passes the regulation as a foodstuff. They state that cotton, under German law, theoretically could be used as a food.
- U.S. regulatory agencies treat cotton as a food crop. Cotton is a food and fiber crop. Since cottonseed is used for both human and animal food, in the U.S. any crop protection products that are used in the production of cotton must meet the same regulations as any food crop. Salad and cooking oils are made of cottonseed oil, and linters are used in soups and pharmaceuticals.
- U.S. cotton is very drought and heat-tolerant. Only 35 percent of U.S. cotton acreage uses some form of supplemental irrigation – the other 65 percent survive solely on natural rainwater.
COTTON FACTS
- Cotton plays a role in reducing greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. All cotton plants extract CO2 from the air and emit oxygen back into the atmosphere. The amount of cotton used in a pair of jeans (about 1 kg), takes 1.5 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere and generates 1 kg of O2. Carbon sequestered annually in the world cotton fiber supply is the oil equivalent of taking 7.25 million passenger vehicles from the highways.
- Cotton is a principal contributor to local economies. The production and processing of natural fibers worldwide employs hundreds of millions of people, particularly in developing countries. Cotton, alone, generates hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity as it moves from production at the farm level through processing and retail.
- Consumers consider cotton as safe. Results from the Global Lifestyle Monitor™ show that consumers consider cotton to be the safest fiber for the environment, rating it a positive 8.58 on a 0 to 10 scale.
- Consumers prefer natural fibers such as cotton. Results from the Global Lifestyle Monitor™ show that 64% of global consumers would pay more for clothes made of natural fibers such as cotton, and more than half of the consumers surveyed worldwide believe that better quality clothes are made from 100 percent natural fiber such as cotton.
Additional information on cotton’s sustainability from Cotton Incorporated, CCI’s strategic partner in representing the U.S. cotton industry:
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