Pitching Australia’s cotton to major brands

At an event in the Australian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, representatives of the Cotton Australia delegation made their case about cotton quality, responsibility and sustainable production to companies that together consume approximately five times the volume of the average annual Australian cotton crop.

The goal: increase Australia’s percentage of the world cotton market to 30 percent by the year 2020. Brands hearing the sales pitch included such household names as Nike, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, Lee, Wrangler, The North Face, Nautica, Adidas, IKEA and Levis Strauss.

The Cotton Australia delegation also attended the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) members meeting. Members belong to all sectors of the cotton supply chain—producing countries, brands and retailers, spinners and manufacturers, as well as civic society groups seeking more sustainable raw material options. One of the main topics discussed at the BCI meeting was increasing demand for BCI cotton at brand and retailer level, and ensuring this signal is heard back through the supply chain to growers.

Cotton Australia signed a formal partnership agreement with BCI on behalf of Australia’s cotton industry in June 2014 that allows myBMP certified and BCI registered growers to sell their cotton as BCI cotton.