Cotton

Around 25 million households in approximately 75 countries around the world produce cotton. From seed grain to cotton bale, it is estimated that the cotton sector provides a livelihood for 150 million people worldwide. In most countries of the Global South, such as India, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Tanzania, but also in parts of China, cotton is farmed predominantly by smallholders. In Africa, it is cultivated largely by families performing manual labour and fieldwork. Yields are very low by global standards and cannot guarantee an adequate and living income. Cheaper synthetic fibres are in direct competition with cotton and threaten the competitiveness of small farmers in particular.

In addition, the global cotton industry is facing a wide range of challenges, such as climate change and forced or child labour. The effects of climate change mean that cultivation regions tend to shift, making production conditions more difficult, while exploitative labour in the cotton fields frequently endangers long-term local development. 

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide slump in the cotton and textile supply chain. Sales of raw cotton have slowed as a result of the global restrictions, which has led, among other things, to significant price fluctuations. At this point there is no way to predict the long-term consequences for the global cotton industry. Outside of crises-induced short-term fluctuations, both price and global production volume have remained stagnant for the past 20 years, indicating lack of investment and economic opportunities.  

Labels from standards organisations remain an important lever for improving the social, ecological and economic sustainability of cotton. Around 25% of global cotton production now comes from sustainably certified cultivation. The most important standard systems that certify sustainable cotton production are Better Cotton , Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) and Fairtrade Cotton, as well as a range of organic certification labels. Better Cotton, which recognizes large national standards such as ABRAPA in Brazil or myBMP in Australia, is by far the largest certification scheme. 

However, sustainable cotton still does not reach the trade as such enough, so that smallholder families struggle to benefit enough from sustainable cultivation methods. Therefore, another important lever is to increase the active demand for sustainable cotton. However, this can only be achieved in cooperation and collaboration with the private sector.