Cotton, here's why the most popular natural fibre is still not the most sustainable one

It is the second most common fibre on the planet after polyester, the first of the natural ones. Yet, even though it is generated from the earth, cotton is not the most sustainable fibre. This is demonstrated by a recent study published by the American NGO The Organic Center, which examined the environmental impact of cotton production, with a particular focus on the United States, highlighting that only organic cotton can be defined as a truly sustainable fibre, since ordinary cotton, which still constitutes the overwhelming majority, is plagued by intensive use of pesticides and fertilisers that make its production chain a risk to the environment and health.

Cotton, says the report, is the world's most widely grown crop, in more than 50 countries, due to the breadth of its applications, ranging from textiles to the food industry. The top five countries by extent of production are India, the United States, China, Pakistan and Brazil. Between 2018 and 2022, 4% of the pesticides used in agriculture worldwide were used for cotton, and in the United States, the only producing country to monitor its use, cotton fields ended up with the highest pesticide use per hectare, at 4.6 kg, more than maize, soya and wheat.

The risks of fertilisers, which consume enormous amounts of energy to produce, are linked to the release of harmful chemical components into the air and water. And for cotton, nitrogen-based fertilisers are mainly used, which are responsible for emissions of nitrous oxide, considered a greenhouse gas 265 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The use of genetically modified seeds, which now affect 94% of cotton fields in the United States alone, is also damaging to the environment. Considering that in 2019 cotton was the third highest biotech crop on the planet, after soya and maize and before canola, the report denounces that the spread of modified seeds, which began in 1995, has led to the development of weeds that are increasingly resistant to herbicides, which are also spreading to organic cotton crops.

This is a big problem for cotton growers, who currently have a limited number of products and techniques to support them, as protocols prohibit the use of toxic synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, genetically modified seeds and sewage sludge turned into fertiliser. Instead, natural insecticides are allowed, i.e., derived from minerals, plants, or pheromones, or Bacillus thuringiensis, a sporigenous bacterium that lives in the soil and is able to kill insect larvae harmful to crops. Clover, rye and other rotational crops can be used to fertilise the soil, while rationing irrigation instead of chemical defoliants is permitted to defoliate the plants.

Ninety-seven per cent of the world's organic cotton is produced in eight countries, India, Turkey, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and the United States, and between 2022 and 2023 an estimated 772,000 tonnes of this type of cotton was produced, equal to 3.2 per cent of global production, although the share of cotton produced according to sustainability principles has risen to 29 per cent. To make it increase further, with a positive impact on the planet, the report indicates that action by institutions and governments is necessary, to make farmers aware of their choices, but also economic and fiscal support for organic farming. No less important is the commitment of global brands, especially those in the fashion industry, in supporting organic crops and raising consumer awareness of responsible purchasing.