#Raw Materials

2020-07-02

Brazil sees huge jump in share of China’s import market but most countries will see ranging from 7% to 73%

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the cotton world upside down, but not everything has changed in the past six months. China and the United States, for example, have suffered from the virus like every other country recently — and continued to batter each other with tariffs, as well — but they will remain the world’s largest cotton importer and exporter, respectively.

Highlights from the July 2020 Cotton This Month include:

China and the USA will remain the world’s top importer and exporter

Brazil’s share of China’s import market increased 170% in 2018/19 as US exports to China wilted under the 25% tariff

Through the August – April period of the 2019/20 market year, US exports to China are up significantly but most countries will see their shipments to China decrease between 7% and 73%

The Secretariat’s current projection for the year-end 2019/20 average of the A Index has been revised to 71 cents per pound this month

The price projection for the year-end 2020/21 average of the A Index is 58 cents per pound this month

Although Phase One of their trade agreement went into effect on 20 February, the cotton industry had already seen several changes as a result of the troubles:

Brazil has been the prime beneficiary of the USA’s losses in China, as the South American country saw its share of the Chinese import market increase by 170% in 2018/19.

The news isn’t all bad for the USA, which is still expected to export 3 million tonnes globally in 2019/20 and from August through April saw its shipments to China reach 277,000 tonnes, up 29% from the previous period.

For the 2019/20 season, most other countries are expected to find their shipments to China decrease, with West Africa’s exports declining by 48% and other countries that export to China seeing contractions ranging from 7% to 73%.

Imports from China to Brazil and the United States increase as imports from West Africa decrease. (c) 2020 ICAC

In terms of prices, The Secretariat’s current projection for the year-end 2019/20 average of the A Index has been revised to 71 cents per pound this month. The price projection for the year-end 2020/21 average of the A Index is 58 cents per pound this month.

Cotton This Month is published at the beginning of the month with the Cotton Update published mid-month. The Cotton Update, which is included in the Cotton This Month subscription, is a mid-month report with updated information on supply/demand estimates and prices. The next Cotton Update will be released on 15 July 2020. The next Cotton This Month will be released on 3 August 2020.

ICAC releases 2025 edition of the Specialty Cotton Report

The ICAC has released the newest edition of the Specialty Cotton Report, a free publication that was created in 2023 to highlight the many new "identity cotton programs" that have been emerging around the world, in addition to covering long-staple (LS) and extra-long staple (ELS) cotton. For the ICAC's purposes, "specialty cotton" refers to any cotton that is remarkable in some way — LS, ELS, or falls under a specific identity program.

BCI warns against ‘dangerous dilution’ of EU corporate directives

The approval of the European Commission’s Omnibus I proposal by the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, accepting controversial changes to key sustainability directives is of great concern. These changes, namely to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), threaten to significantly dilute business reporting and due diligence obligations.

Fashion For Good launches “Beyond50 Denim” to address hemp integration barriers in global denim production

Fashion for Good, together with leading global brands BESTSELLER, C&A, PDS Limited, Reformation, and Target, launched Beyond50 Denim: Combining Cottonised Hemp and Green Chemistry, a project accelerating the use of hemp as an alternative to conventional cotton in denim. By combining two pioneering innovations (SEFF’s Nano-Pulse™ cottonised hemp fibres and FIBRE52™’s proprietary chemistry formulations with soft handfeel), the project seeks to demonstrate that hemp-based denim can match or even surpass cotton in both performance and appeal.

Spinnova and Rieter to publish a yarn spinning guideline for industrial partners

Spinnova and Rieter have published a comprehensive yarn spinning guideline for industrial partners, detailing how to produce compact yarn from SPINNOVA® fibre using Rieter’s state-of-the-art machinery. The step-by-step guide outlines key considerations at each stage of the spinning process and is available upon request.

Evonik and AMSilk extend partnership for sustainable biotech silk materials

Evonik and AMSilk, a global leader in advanced biomaterials based on silk proteins, have deepened their collaboration with a long-term agreement to produce sustainable silk proteins at industrial scale. Building on their initial manufacturing agreement from 2023, the companies have commissioned a manufacturing line at Evonik’s Slovakian site for AMSilk’s high-performance silk. This innovative biomaterial is produced with minimal environmental impact and is designed for use in premium fashion and highly demanding automotive interiors.

Compact, powerful, cost-efficient – KARL MAYER launches its HKS 2-SE TWO

KARL MAYER is launching a new two-bar tricot machine for the elastic sector at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025. This newcomer is called HKS 2-SE TWO, stands for double customer benefits, and offers even more advantages than the predecessor model. With this innovation, the leading textile machinery company is once again asserting its top position in the market.

VDMA members at ITMA ASIA + CITME in Singapore

With 69 exhibiting member companies, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 is once again marked by a strong presence of VDMA companies. Altogether 82 companies from Germany will exhibit at the show, covering about 3,500 square meters of exhibition space, topped only by China and Italy. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

Marzoli unveals its new textile ecosystem at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 at Singapore

With the claim “Designed to Impact”, Marzoli showcases its evolution into a complete engineering company for the textile industry. By combining advanced machinery, digital intelligence, science of materials and innovative services, the company enables textile manufacturers unlock new business opportunities, and accelerate their path to innovation and differentiation.