#Raw Materials

2024-07-17

Marketing Cotton: Challenges and opportunities

All farmers in the world share a concern for demand at the product level. About 80% of all cotton is used in apparel, 10-15% in household textiles, and the balance in non-woven or technical applications. In his presentation during the International Cotton Conference Bremen in March 2024 Mark Messura, Senior Vice President in der Global Supply Chain Marketing Division von Cotton Incorprated, focused on the demand side of cotton and how to support marketing of the natural fibre to get used in specific products.

He also presented some solutions developed by Cotton Inc – an idea company focused on the mission of advancing demand for cotton.

Mark Messura © 2024 Cotton Incorporated – International Cotton Conference Bremen

The Marketing Triangle

Brands and retailers face a marketing triangle, with the sides composed of marketing, technology and economics. Cotton must have a competitive advantage in at least one of the areas. In marketing, cotton may have an advantage because of consumer preferences, or health benefits. Cotton is currently at a strong economic disadvantage to polyester. Technical applications can expand the range of uses for cotton and improve cotton’s technical performance capabilities. Functions such as water repellency, moisture management, enhanced durability, wrinkle resistance, and stretch are being developed through research by Cotton Incorporated and partner research organizations.

More and more, brands and retailers are asking if a fibre is acceptable. Is it sustainable? Circularity, recycling, and biodegradability are factors companies consider, even before they talk about marketing, economics or technical performance.

Technology can also provide support in this context. Increasingly, consumers are defining sustainability as durability. Tough CottonTM is a new technology that increases abrasion resistance with a dual-process treatment. Another new technology is RESTech CottonTM, a comfortable, durable, sustainable sheeting technology that can compensate for the disadvantages of cotton compared to competing fibers such as viscose or polyester. Cotton has lost market share to rayon from bamboo and polyester. RESTechTM cotton dries 50% faster than rayon, it is temperature regulating and 40% softer than regular cotton, creating a marketing opportunity for cotton.

Sustainable Cotton in a Circular Economy

About 5% of cotton is used in nonwoven products, including diapers, disposable wipes and feminin hygiene products. Cotton Incorporated is working with companies to replace plastic components in diapers, hygiene and health products, including rigid components, with biodegradable cotton.

Circularity is another sustainability concept. Cotton is grown from the earth, and cotton products can be returned to the earth, the best definition of “Circularity.”

Because of the degradation of intrinsic fibre quality through the mechanical recycling of cotton fibres, new uses for recycled cotton must be found. Cotton can be biodegraded into a soil enhancer. Composting cotton has been studied, and a pair of blue jeans is completly degraded after three months, except for the polyester liner and pockets.

Given all the uses of cotton, companies could be using more than they do. However, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation about cotton in the world market. The work of the SEEP panel of ICAC is very important. Retailers and brands are not farmers or experts on cotton, and they need to be given the facts about cotton. There is room in the market for organic, conventional, GMO and non-GMO cottons.

Traceability is a key concept in sustainability discussions today, and polyester must be held to the same standard of traceability as cotton. What factory did the polyester in a product come from? If you want to know the farm where cotton was grown, you need to know the oil well that polyester came from.

You can find Mark Messura‘s presentation on the Bremen Cotton Exchange website: Presentations

https://baumwollboerse.de/en/competencies/international-cotton-conference/vortraege/

Bremen Cotton Exchange: Fritz A. Grobien re-elected as President

The members of the Bremen Cotton Exchange have re-elected Fritz A. Grobien as President during the association’s 152nd General Assembly on June 18, 2026. The election confirms the organization’s commitment to maintaining its role as a leading international platform for the cotton and fiber industry amid a period of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.

Beyond Cotton: Natural Fibres in the Spotlight at the Bremen Cotton Conference - Branded by DNFI

Climate targets, fragile supply chains, and rising regulatory requirements are fundamentally changing the perspective of the textile industry - the focus is increasingly shifting toward the base material. Not only cotton, but natural fibres are gaining significant importance: they stand out not only because of their outstanding functional properties, but also because they make a valuable contribution to the bioeconomy and responsible product development.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Organic cotton at the crossroads: Ideology, evidence, and the road ahead

Organic cotton occupies one of the most contentious spaces in global agriculture. While praised by brands and consumers for its environmental ideals, it also faces persistent questions about yield stability, certification integrity, and scalability. The current edition of The ICAC Recorder cuts through the ideology to deliver a rigorous, evidence-based assessment of both sides of the debate.

Christian Wichert appointed Chief Executive Officer to lead next phase of growth

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a global leader in advanced biomaterials made from silk proteins, today announces the appointment of Christian Wichert as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1 June. The appointment marks a pivotal moment in AMSilk’s journey, as the Company advances from development through scale-up to commercialization.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

HKRITA signs MoU with Jeanologia and Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) yesterday officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two key global partners, Jeanologia and Looptworks, to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.