Date Posted: September 6, 2025
Washington, DC — The ICAC has released a free mobile and web-enabled research tool designed to help farmers, researchers, and policymakers calculate the net carbon footprint of cotton production and related activities. By entering input values, users can estimate CO₂-equivalent (CO₂-eq) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions alongside the potential carbon sequestration achieved through various practices.
Available in both English and French, key features include:
- Calculation of farm and household emissions, with the ability to aggregate footprints for larger areas such as villages, towns, or districts to eventually assess net-zero targets.
- Customizable assessments for different soil types, seed use, mulching, transport, 30+ tillage operations, 10+ planting methods, pesticide application techniques, weeding practices, and 14+ harvesting methods.
- Inclusion of animal and human labor, irrigation systems (9 methods with depth options using electricity or diesel), 30+ fertilizers, 16+ composts and manures, and more than 550 generic pesticide molecules represented in over 4,400 commercial formulations.
- Consideration of land-use change emissions and carbon sequestration through cotton fiber, crop residue management (fuel, biochar, or mulching), and regenerative agriculture practices such as cover crops, reduced tillage, and soil carbon enhancement.
- The dashboard provides a clear breakdown of CO₂-eq GHG emissions per hectare, estimates of carbon sequestration, and the final calculation of net carbon credits.
“With its comprehensive capabilities, the ICAC Carbon Footprint Application provides farmers and policymakers with a practical and science-based tool to evaluate and reduce emissions, enhance carbon sequestration, and work toward climate-smart, sustainable cotton production,” says ICAC Chief Scientist and creator of the app, Dr Keshav Kranthi. “By enabling assessments from individual farms to entire regions, this app supports the global drive toward net-zero targets and responsible carbon management.”
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About the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC)
Formed in 1939, the ICAC is an association of cotton producing, consuming, trading, and investing 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 program. Committed to ensuring cotton’s continued sustainability, the ICAC is the only intergovernmental commodity body covering cotton that is recognized by the United Nations. For more information, please visit www.icac.org, Twitter or LinkedIn.