As the only United Nations-recognised intergovernmental commodity body representing cotton, the ICAC plays a central role in the global promotion of cotton. It is the world’s most important natural fibre for a host of reasons:
- It’s a poverty-alleviating crop in some of the least developed countries in the world,
- It’s the only agricultural commodity that provides both fibre and food (for both humans and livestock),
- It’s natural and biodegrades quickly compared with synthetic alternatives,
- It thrives in hot, arid regions where few other crops could grow, and
- It provides employment and income to millions of women around the world.
While there are countless examples of the benefits cotton provides, the ICAC focusses its promotion efforts on three high-visibility initiatives: World Cotton Day, the Private Sector Advisory Panel (PSAP) and the #TruthAboutCotton initiative.
World Cotton Day
World Cotton Day (recognised annually on 7 October) was launched in 2019 at World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters, where more than 700 people gathered for the inaugural celebration. This year, all stakeholders in the cotton and textile industry are encouraged to celebrate cotton in their own way — and the ICAC is going to help them do it.
Private Sector Advisory Panel (PSAP)
The PSAP is a critical link between the ICAC and the private sector businesses that drive the cotton and textile industry. Their financial success depends heavily on the reliable and steady growth of cotton consumption worldwide, and as a result are eager to embrace their role in promoting our natural fibre.
#TruthAboutCotton
This media-focussed initiative, launched in 2018, was created to combat the mistakes, myths and outright lies that have plagued the industry in recent years. Whether it’s through ignorance or intent, these mistruths do untold damage to cotton’s reputation, so the ICAC developed this fact-based project to set the record straight, once and for all.
