There’s more to cotton than you think

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The cotton community celebrates the World Cotton Day on October 7th.

Sustainable fibre

If we hear the word ‘cotton’, we think of comfortable clothes but do we also think about the fact that cotton is a natural renewable product?

Cotton is a natural fibre that is grown agriculturally and is therefore a renewable raw material. At the same time, the naturally produced fibre is 100 percent biodegradable. For thousands of years, people have appreciated the properties of cotton. Cotton is breathable, absorbs moisture and has a low allergy potential.

Biodegradable fibre

If we hear the word ‘cotton’, we think of airy clothes but do we also think of the fact that cotton doesn’t produce microfiber particles?

As a renewable natural fibre, cotton is 100 percent biodegradable. Fibres that get into the environment through abrasion decompose after a while. In contrast to petroleum-based clothing such as polyester or elastane, cotton textiles do not pollute water or soil.

A basis for livelihood

If we hear the word, ‘cotton’, we think of fashionable clothes but do we also think of the fact that cotton provides income to millions of people, especially in developing countries?

Around 26 million tonnes of cotton are produced every year. Worldwide, approximately 150 million people are involved in its production and further processing, including seven million smallholders. As a so-called “cash crop”, it supplements food cultivation and generates income. The soil is protected by crop rotation. The largest producing countries of the natural fibre are India, China, the USA and Brazil.

What comes to your mind, when you hear the word ‘cotton’?

More information about World Cotton Day

Cotton factsheet (pdf)

More information about cotton

Press release of the Bremen Cotton Exchange for World Cotton Day