News

Executive Summary
The March 2023 edition of 'Cotton: Review of the World Situation':

• Opens a three-part series focussed on sustainability reporting from Veronica Bates Kassatly, an independent analyst and consultant for data-based sustainability claims
• Consists of three editorial elements:
  • A column from ICAC Economist Ms Lorena Ruiz, editor of the Review
  • Two reports from Ms Bates Kassatly: 'The Great Green Washing Machine, Part 1' (Sept 2021) and 'Real or Not Real' (Aug 2022)

'Review' Releases First of Three Issues on Sustainability
The term 'sustainability' is a nebulous and sometimes controversial topic in the cotton industry, especially because people can't really agree on exactly what the term means. That hasn't stopped many businesses and organisations from making claims about cotton's sustainability and/or the 'sustainable nature' of their products, however, and that's where things get messy.

In the first of a three-part series on sustainability, ICAC Economist Lorena Ruiz opens with an editorial explaining why the Review is publishing Ms Bates Kassatly's reports. 'Every question she came up with just led to more questions rather than answers', Ms Ruiz writes, adding that a data-focussed approach to sustainability claims should help to clear up some of the confusion and misinformation.

The first of Ms Bates Kassatly's report, entitled 'The Great Green Washing Machine Part 1: Back to the Roots of Sustainability', addresses the difference between true progress toward sustainability in fashion and the 'fanciful greenwishing' claims made by some companies.

The second report, 'Real of Not Real: Debunking Some of the Assumptions in Our Industry', points out that making claims about sustainability can land organisations in serious hot water, up to and including being targeted by class action lawsuits.

The next two issues of the Review will include three more reports from Ms Bates Kassatly and will conclude with an editorial of her own, providing her thoughts on how we got to where we are, where sustainability needs to go next, and which stakeholders need to be involved in that journey. 

To access this FREE issue of the Review, please click here. 
 
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About the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC)
Formed in 1939, the ICAC is an association of cotton producing, consuming and trading countries. It acts as a catalyst for change by helping member countries maintain a healthy world cotton economy; provides transparency to the world cotton market by serving as a clearinghouse for technical information on cotton production; and serves as a forum for discussing cotton issues of international significance. In addition, members can take advantage of the ICAC’s global network of cotton researchers, whose expertise covers the supply chain from farm to textile manufacturing, and have free access to its cutting-edge technologies like the voice-based app and virtual technology cotton training programme. Committed to ensuring cotton’s continued sustainability, the ICAC is the only intergovernmental commodity body covering cotton that is recognised by the United Nations. For more information, please visit www.icac.org, Twitter or LinkedIn.