The US and Australian cotton industries new Cotton LEADS program is working to recapture market share for cotton against synthetic fibers. Cotton producers may soon be called in to help in that effort with their time and knowledge. The first step in this process was to develop metrics to help support the work US cotton was doing in the area of sustainability. This includes everything from improving land use efficiency to water use efficiency, improving pesticide applications, soil erosion improvement as well as reduced energy use. This was combined with increased efforts in research capabilities, efforts in agricultural research as well as textile product care.
However, this wasn’t enough. Globally, US cotton interests were still encountering resistance. Thinking they needed a partner globally, the US cotton industry led by the National Cotton Council (NCC) and Cotton Incorporated and Cotton Council International (CCI) met with the Australian cotton industry. Their metrics were very similar to US metrics, with improvements in water use and pesticide applications.
The Americans gave the Australians a proposal to jointly promote their cotton in this arena, and called it ‘Cotton LEADS’. The ultimate goal was to have brands and retailers around the world accept US and Australian cotton as part of their sourcing strategies without going for costly certification.
www.cottonleads.org/
