What is the biggest selling natural fibre in the world? Cotton accounts for about 32% of the world fibre market, but over the last thirty years natural fibres have lost some of its market share to synthetic fibres. Synthetic fibres are man-made fibres which are made from artificially produced polymers, which come from petroleum such as coal or oil. In contrast, natural fibres are made from naturally occurring polymers such as cellulose from plants and proteins from animals.
However, the good news is that due to the increase in population, consumption of cotton is increasing.
The major positive aspects of cotton is its comfort, softness, durability, versatility and value.
BMP (Best Management Practices) cotton appeals to buyers who demand environmental accountability, traceability and transparency. Each and every bale of Australian BMP cotton that is shipped is verified and sanctioned as being
produced on a BMP accredited farm. That is a cotton farm that is practicing the highest levels of cotton production in terms of sustainability, safety and quality.
Australian cotton has such a level of traceability in place that a brand owner can can verify and trace a an article of clothing back to the farm and even the field the cotton was grown in. This includes the manufacture of the item, knitting or weaving, spinning and ginning. At the farm, each bale is marked with the growing information (variety, farm and field) and then, when it is ginned, the information is transferred to bale tag identification and can then be verified throughout the classing and shipping process. Once a BMP shipment is authenticated by Cotton Australia, a BMP certificate is issued. This is issued with the shipment so that the receiver knows for certain that it comes from a fully accredited farm.
Organic cotton is the major ‘competitor’ of BMP cotton. Organic cotton is defined as being grown without the use of synthetically compounded chemicals
(ie, pesticides, fertilisers, defoliants, etc.) and is grown from non transgenic cotton seed. Organic cotton requires more intensive seasonal labour. It also yields far less than modern, that is genetically modified, varieties, meaning that it takes more land and inputs (eg water) to produce the same amount of cotton.
Australia exports $2.5 billion of cotton each year. The CSIRO has contributed to that ranking, by their breeding program and also through improved crop practices that manage pests and pesticide resistance. The CSIRO has also sought to ensure the responsible use the precious resources such as land and water. Cotton varieties began to be developed in 1984 and currently more than 95% of the Australian cotton crop is grown form CSIRO bred varieties. These have reduced pesticide use by up to 85% and herbicide use by about 52%.