Cotton LEADS™ assures retailers, brands and textile manufacturers seeking transparency in their supply chain that their partners can easily source reliable and responsible raw material.
Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council of America, Cotton Incorporated and Cotton Australia founded Cotton LEADS to promote awareness of the responsible cotton production practices undertaken in the United States and Australia. Combined, Australia and the United States account for roughly 17 percent of global cotton production. “The U.S. cotton industry recognizes that sustainability requires a commitment to continual improvement,” CCI Chairman Jimmy Webb said. “U.S. cotton producers, including myself, have systematically adopted modern technology to reduce the environmental impact of cotton, and Cotton LEADS will make the textile supply chain more aware of what we’ve been doing for years.” Cotton
LEADS founding members and signatories committed to five core principles – commitment, recognition, understanding, belief and confidence – as the foundation for an effective program that fosters the ability of supply chain entities to meet the world’s demand for responsibly-produced cotton. “I take great pride in producing cotton responsibly on my farm so we can meet the world’s growing need for fiber without compromising the ability of future generations – including my three children and their families – to meet their needs,” Webb said. Cotton – a natural, readily renewable and biodegradable resource – is the largest natural fiber in the global fiber, textile and apparel economy, now representing roughly 80 percent of all natural fibers consumed. Cotton is a food, feed and fiber crop in the United States, and therefore subject to strict legal controls. “U.S. cotton producers continue to work hard to minimize cotton’s carbon footprint and have made dramatic improvements in land use, soil erosion, water usage, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the past 20 years,” Webb added. Global Lifestyle Monitor (GLM) research, a study conducted by CCI and Cotton Incorporated, show that more than half of global consumers believe that better quality clothes are made from 100 percent natural fiber such as cotton.
