Responsible fibre production, technical progress, regional organic cotton production, sustainable wool production and even cotton as a plastic substitute.

The conference organisers are also not afraid to take up topics that are often the focus of public criticism. One example of this is the two-hour panel discussion on Wednesday 17 March which aims to answer key questions about processes and methods for responsible fibre production. Here, current and future standards will be compared and contrasted.

Mark Messura, Senior Vice President of the Global Supply Chain Marketing Division at Cotton Incorporated, Cary, USA will lead the panel discussion. In his career he can look back on 27 years of experience in production processes and the marketing of cotton.

His discussion partners are five participants who work in the fields of agricultural research and natural fibre production, as well as in non-governmental organisations.

La Rhea Pepper belongs to the fifth generation of a Texan cotton farming family. La Rhea is an expert in organic cotton cultivation and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Textile Exchange. As a global non-profit organisation, Textile Exchange, together with its members, is pursuing the goal of developing sustainable production standards for different fibre and material groups.

Jessi Christiansen has been Global Cotton, Sorghum & Alfalfa Manger for Bayer Crop Science, St. Louis, USA, since 2018. Before that, she worked for Monsanto Company in various leadership positions over the past ten years. As a leader in agriculture, Bayer can shape the future of agriculture for farmers, consumers and our planet by pioneering innovation, setting new standards in sustainability, and accelerating digital transformation. Bayer continues to make substantial investments in the cotton industry, and perhaps no example underscores this commitment better than our robust pipeline featuring the strongest germplasm and biotechnology traits in the industry. With its bundled know-how of seed breeding, biotechnology and digital development, Bayer Crop Science is increasing both the yields and fibre quality, as well as the resilience of cotton globally.

Dalena White is General Secretary of the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) in Brussels. The IWTO has represented the common interests of the international wool trade since 1930 and, through measures in the fields of research, advice, and information, ensures a future of natural wool and its processing into textiles based on sustainability.