Cotton Day Highlights U.S. Cotton’s Value to the Indian Textile Industry

Coimbatore: Cotton Council International (CCI) held its annual Cotton Day in Coimbatore, India, this week, featuring an insightful seminar tying in the Indian cotton textile industry’s evolution with its U.S. cotton consumption. CCI Representative Peush Narang noted that India's pivotal role in global cotton consumption was central to the in-depth discussions on U.S. cotton’s trajectory within the global and Indian textile sectors. “U.S. cotton plays a critical role in India’s dynamic textile industry,” said CCI Director of South Asia Will Bettendorf.

“The high quality of U.S. cotton combined with innovation, responsible production and technology—which the U.S. cotton industry has pioneered—will influence the global and Indian textile industries’ future. U.S. cotton combined with the ingenuity of the Indian textile mills yields an excellent, sustainable and high-quality product for India’s leading export markets.” COTTON USA SOLUTIONS® is one of the innovative programs that differentiates U.S. cotton through data, service and intelligence. Its five business-building offerings show how using U.S. cotton can boost a mill’s productivity, efficiency and profitability.

These state-of-the-art services are complimentary for mills that meet U.S. cotton purchase requirements and are members of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, a program setting a new standard in sustainable cotton production. India and Sri Lanka boast more than 115 Trust Protocol members. “The Trust Protocol brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to the key sustainability metrics of U.S. cotton production, but our U.S. growers have always been innovators in sustainability,” Bettendorf said. Supima President & CEO Marc Lewkowitz reinforced the U.S. industry’s dedication to responsible fiber production, noting that the Trust Protocol and Supima have collaborated to deliver supply chain traceability and provide access to farm-level, science-based data. He also premiered Supima’s AQRe™ Project, a new platform to facilitate the real-time, credible and responsible sourcing of textiles made with Supima cotton. “India is a key textile sector player making both apparel and home products,” Lewkowitz said. “Despite India’s extensive cotton production, there is a distinct value-added role for U.S. cotton to play. Direct meetings with our partners continue to support the deep ties between the two nations.”

About Cotton Council International (CCI): Cotton Council International (CCI) is a non-profit trade association that promotes U.S. cotton fiber and manufactured cotton products around the globe with our COTTON USA™ trademark. Our reach extends to more than 50 countries through 20 offices around the world. CCI works with spinning mills, fabric and garment manufacturers, brands, retailers, textile associations, governments and the USDA to facilitate the use of U.S. cotton. With more than 65 years of experience, CCI’s mission is to make U.S. cotton the preferred fiber for mills/manufacturers, brands/retailers and consumers, commanding a value-added premium that delivers profitability across the U.S. cotton industry and drives export growth of fiber, yarn and other cotton products. For more information, visit cottonusa.org.