Cotton Council International’s (CCI) 9th biennial summit was held in the US, November 5 to 7, 2016. The summit explored challenges and opportunities facing the general use of cotton in the textile supply chain, as well as specific topics surrounding US cotton, including innovation and global economic issues.

Cotton is facing increasing competition from manmade fibers that can offer greater length uniformity at a lesser cost. So the themes of change and challenges to business-as-usual permeated the conference. The practical value of longstanding economic models, such as supply and demand, in today’s increasingly complex and tech-driven world was debated.

Some 415 delegates from 31 countries gathered for the summit. The audience represented 16 per cent of global cotton use. US cotton producers reiterated their commitment to maintaining strong relationships with the global cotton supply chain.

Economics and innovation were common threads of the conference, which included a cotton commodity update and an examination of certain domestic policies relevant to cotton. The panel comprised US exporters and textile mill representatives. Additional updates on agricultural, fiber quality and textile innovations were presented.

CCI hosted the conference in cooperation with Cotton Incorporated and USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service to help facilitate global networking opportunities for US cotton.