As the most popular fibre in apparel, cotton meets the needs of consumers while providing livelihoods for more than 250 million people who are part of the worldΆs cotton supply chain. Natural and soft, versatile and renewable, these qualities make cotton the leading consumer-preferred fibre
As cotton continues to meet a third of the worldΆs total demand for fibre, it is timely to consider the status of cotton in the world market. Cotton is grown in more than 80 countries and used in textile operations in more than 160 countries. It is worn and used by consumers in every country.
As a globally traded commodity, cotton has experienced volatility, like all agricultural commodities, in its price. During the last half of 2010, world prices for cotton began rising, triggered by perceptions of a shortage and made worse by IndiaΆs decision to withhold Indian cotton and cotton yarn exports from the world market.
As cotton prices began to rise, financial markets started paying attention to cotton as an investment, stimulating interest and fuelling price rises further. As fast as prices went up, so, too, did they fall in the spring of 2011.
Despite volatility in cotton trading, the forces of supply and demand worked through the situation, with record prices leading to record supplies of cotton. This led to prices falling to more ΅normalΆ levels. Since October 2012, the world price for cotton, as measured by CotlookΆs A Index, has moved in a narrow range of less than 11 cents per pound. Currently, the world market is witnessing the highest supply of cotton in history, standing at an estimated 40.9 million metric tons. This large supply means that despite a lower level of cotton production anticipated this year, world supplies are more than adequate to meet rising demand for the fibre.
Most cotton use continues to be in apparel, which accounts for approximately 80%-85% of the end use for cotton fibre. Home textiles products account for approximately 10%-15%, with nonwovens and other products accounting for the balance. Among US consumers, 100% cotton and/or cotton blended fabrics are their favourite fabrics in apparel. Information from Cotton IncorporatedΆs Lifestyle Monitor, indicates that 78% of men and 77% of women prefer these fabrics to fabrics made from other fibres.
Consumers also consider cotton to be a fabric and a fibre that is safe for the environment, ranking cotton the highest among individual fibres. In a recent survey, 72% of US consumers indicated that they felt natural fibres are better for the environment, compared with 3% who felt synthetics are better.
More product markets are opening up to increased use of cotton fibres, particularly knit products with moisture management features. The development of Cotton IncorporatedΆs TransDRY technology provides a moisture management solution for cotton knit fabrics.
Brands such as PUMA, Athleta, POLARMAX, Lily Pulitzer and J Lindeberg are using TransDRY technology to add value and performance to their cotton knit products. The technology is a yarn-based treatment to create water repellency. By blending the optimum amount of treated and untreated cotton yarns, fabric designers can create a multitude of cotton fabrics with engineered moisture management performance.
When it comes to drying time, the TransDRY knit fabrics can dry up to 50% faster than untreated cotton fabrics and are equivalent to the drying time for similar synthetic fabrics. The technology also is available in wovens and was launched by Levi Strauss & Co in denim jeans in 2012.
COOLTRANS technology, offered by Newtech Textile Technology Company, provides transfer printing that can be done under ambient conditions and applied to 100% cotton fabrics. For knits, wovens, and pile fabrics, this technology is a cost effective alternative to digital printing and is capable of production rates comparable to rotary screen printing, with the added advantage of lower water, energy and chemical consumption.
The COOLTRANS technology is just one of many technologies for cotton that have been developed to manufacture better products with less impact on the environment. Many of these technologies are described in the book, ΅A World of Ideas: Technologies for Sustainable Cotton Textile Manufacturing,Ά which can be downloaded from Cotton IncorporatedΆs website, www.cottoninc.com.
Like all fibres, cotton has an environmental footprint; however, cotton producers and cotton organisations are leading the way to ensure responsible production with efforts to continually improve practices and reduce environmental impact.
Last year, Cotton Incorporated released a comprehensive evaluation of cottonΆs environmental impact in the report, ΅The Life Cycle Inventory and Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton Fibre and FabricΆ. The study covered agricultural production through manufacturing and consumer use. A cotton knit shirt and a cotton woven pant were the sample products included in the study. Summary results from the study appear in the table.
Cotton continues to suffer from inaccurate and misrepresented information about its environmental impacts. Contrary to popular perception, cotton is a drought-tolerant plant that is often planted where other crops cannot be feasibly grown. Pesticide and chemical use have been dramatically reduced through the use of biotechnology to increase the plantΆs resistance to harmful insects. With most of the worldΆs cotton coming from biotechnology-improved seed varieties, worker safety has improved for farmers in many cotton-producing countries while the use of chemicals has fallen dramatically.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for cotton and all fibres is the continuing loss of consumersΆ share of expenditure on apparel and textile products. In industrialised economies as well as developing economies, apparel and textile purchases compete against expenditure on consumer electronics, dining out and other categories. ApparelΆs share of total US consumer spending has fallen from a 5.7% share in 1989 to a 3.5% share in 2011. During this period, the number of denim brands available at retail in the US has grown from less than 200 to more than 800. Competition for consumer spending in apparel remains keen.
In recent years, cotton has been discovered by the nonwoven textile industry. Despite being a centuries old fibre, it is considered a new fibre for some of the newest textile technologies. Qualities such as softness and absorbency have contributed to better performing products in the fast growing disposable wipes market. CottonΆs natural hypoallergenic properties benefit products that come into contact with skin, such as diapers and feminine hygiene and incontinence products. In its raw state, cotton fibres are coated with natural oils and pectins that soak up 14 times their weight in oily substances.
When other cotton products such as denim jeans have come to the end of their useful product life, they are being converted back into fibre which is used to produce high performing insulation for the construction industry. The effort by Cotton Incorporated - ΅Cotton. From Blue to Green.Ά - leads the way in reducing denim apparel destined for landfills.
In the years ahead, perhaps the most important new use for cotton will not be in apparel, or nonwovens, but in food. Research into gossypol - the naturally occurring toxin in cotton seeds that helps the plant defend itself against pests - reveals that it can be reduced to levels that will allow humans to eat cotton seeds safely. This potentially new protein source will be a vital part of cottonΆs future in not only clothing, but feeding a sustainable planet.
Mark Messura is senior vice president, global supply chain marketing at Cotton Inc
