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Cotton Sustainability from Farm to Finishing

The cotton industry is at the forefront of creating sustainable textiles, with opportunities for environmental improvement and resource conservation sewn into the cotton life cycle.

Sustainable Cotton 101

Starting with the growing cycle, every stage of cotton production has the potential to contribute to sustainable fabric. Cotton growers are constantly striving to use water, soil, and energy more efficiently; both for the benefit of the planet and their bottom line.

Natural Fiber

Cotton is a natural fiber, grown from the earth instead of synthetically made. Its properties as a natural fiber make it a sustainable textile, setting cotton leagues ahead of synthetic fibers in environmental friendliness.

Did you know that each person consumes, on average, up to a credit card’s worth of microplastics by weight every week?1 A major advantage of natural fibers like cotton is that they don’t contain plastic microfibers that contribute to the global microplastic pollution problem. Unlike synthetics, cotton fibers can break down2 and return to nature.

Natural vs. Synthetic Fibers

Growing with Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is at the core of sustainable cotton. Field to Market® defines regenerative agriculture as farming practices that sequester carbon in the soil and intentionally improve soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and air quality while ensuring the viability of farm production.3

Cotton farmers across the country use practices like these to protect the environment and their investments: implementing soil health management systems on cotton farms has been shown to increase net income per acre.4 These opportunities to give back to the earth set cotton apart from manmade, synthetic fibers.

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Cotton Circularity

Central to cotton sustainability is its ability to be reused, recycled, and returned to the earth. Cotton is a naturally circular textile, working with the cycle of nature instead of the cycle of pollution like synthetics.

EXPLORE CIRCULARITY
74%

Sustainability was a clothing purchase driver for 74% of global survey respondents.8

90%

90% of consumers perceive cotton as safe for the environment.8

Sustainability at a Glance

Learn more about how sustainability is woven into the cotton industry.

Life Cycle Assessment
Explore the Cotton LCA to understand the full impact of your textile products: production, use, and end of life.
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Natural Resources Survey
The CottonWorks™ Natural Resources Survey provides insight on the top concerns of cotton growers so that research and resources can be directed to address their top priorities.
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Sustainable Textile Manufacturing
Cotton Incorporated has developed fabric collections that highlight sustainable fabric finishing, from improving resource efficiency to incorporating plant byproducts in dyestuff.
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Blue Jeans Go Green™

Blue Jeans Go Green makes denim circularity a reality for consumers, professionals, and businesses by recycling denim into other materials.

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Page References

1

Senathirajah, K., Attwood, S., Bhagwat, G., Carbery, M., Wilson, S., & Palanisami, T. (2020). Estimation of the mass of microplastics ingested – A pivotal first step towards human health risk assessment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 404(B). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124004

2

Zambrano, M. C., Pawlak, J. J., Daystar, J., Ankeny, M., Cheng, J. J., & Venditti, R. A. (2019). Microfibers generated from the laundering of cotton, rayon and polyester based fabrics and their aquatic biodegradation. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 142, 394-407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.062

3

Field to Market. (n.d.) Defining Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture. Retrieved October 15, 2024 from https://fieldtomarket.org/defining-sustainability/

4

Placeholder for a reference Cotton is providing

5

Soil Health Institute. (2022). Economics of Soil Health Management Systems on Five Cotton Farms. https://soilhealthinstitute.org/app/uploads/2022/03/Economics-On-Five-Cotton-Farms.pdf

6

Ankeny, M., Daystar, J., Goller, C. C., Pawlak, J. J., Venditti, R. A., & Zambrano, M. C. (2020). Aerobic biodegradation in freshwater and marine environments of textile microfibers generated in clothes laundering: Effects of cellulose and polyester-based microfibers on the microbiome. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110826

7

Li, L., Frey, M., & Browning, K. J. (2010). Biodegradability Study on Cotton and Polyester Fabrics. Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/155892501000500406

8

Cotton Incorporated. (2017). Cotton Incorporated Supply Chain Insights: Sustainable Clothing. https://cottonworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SCI_Sustainable_Clothing_MT.pdf

9

Cotton Incorporated. (2017). Cotton Incorporated Supply Chain Insights: Sustainable Clothing. https://cottonworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SCI_Sustainable_Clothing_MT.pdf