#Raw Materials

2021-05-11

ICAC Secretariat releases 2021 reports on world cotton statistics, cotton trade and textile demand

Every year, the cotton and textile industries eagerly await the release of three major annual publications from the Secretariat of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC):

Executive Summary

The ICAC Secretariat Reports include the release of:

‘World Cotton Statistics’, a very large Excel spreadsheet with some information dating back to the 1920/21 season

‘World Cotton Trade’, which contains data on raw cotton dating back more than 40 years

‘World Textile Demand’, which provides analyses of world consumption of textile fibres, mill use and trade of cotton yarn and fabric and production of chemical yarn for more than 100 countries

1) World Cotton Statistics. Available on a USB drive, this huge Excel spreadsheet provides:

- World cotton supply/demand statistics since 1920/21 (by country since 1940/41),

- Production, area, yield, consumption, imports, exports and stocks,

- Five-year projections,

- Monthly and seasonal average prices of cotton and polyester,

- Comparison of ICAC forecasts since 2001/02 with actual results, and

- It also includes an overview of factors affecting world cotton prices; changes in world stocks and government policies affecting trade; and statistics on aggregate world cotton supply and use.

2) World Cotton Trade, which offers:

- Trade developments in raw cotton since 1980,

- Analysis of world trade by region,

- Import/export projections for approximately 50 countries,

- Matrices of trade flows,

- Seasonal estimates of export commitments to date,

- Data on trade for all partner countries for each reporting country, and

- Information on the value of cotton lint traded, with the data sets already been updated for the past six seasons for each of the reporting countries (new for the 2021 issue).

3) World Textile Demand, which includes:

- Comprehensive analyses and projections of world end-use consumption of textile fibres, mill use and trade of cotton yarn and fabric and production of chemical yarn for over 100 countries,

- Provides analysis on events that have an impact on world textile demand and cotton’s share of the textile market, and

- World textile fibre end-use demand with 5-year projections.

Subscribers who purchase the Statistics, Trade and Textile Demand reports will get the mid-year update, which is typically released at the beginning of the ICAC Plenary Meeting, at no additional charge.

To purchase one or more of the above publications, please click here, then click ‘Paid Publications’ and select the publication you want:

https://icac.org/Publications?MenuId=41

ICAC to support European Commission on pending PEF legislation

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is proud to announce that it has been included as a member of the European Commission’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB) on the Product Environmental Footprint methodology. The Commission developed the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) to assess and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organizations.

Lenzing commissions 14 MW power‑to‑heat facility, strengthening grid stability and heat management

The Lenzing Group has successfully commissioned a new power‑to‑heat (P2H) facility with an electrical capacity of 14 megawatts. The installation converts renewable electricity directly into process heat, is fully integrated into the existing heat network at the industrial site, and represents a key building block for a fossil‑free heat supply. As project partner, VERBUND was responsible for the energy‑market integration and will operate the facility for balancing energy marketing, enabling it to respond flexibly to short‑term fluctuations in the power grid.

Kraig Biocraft reaches next step in production growth

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“the Company”, “Kraig Labs”, or “Kraig’s”), a world leader in spider silk technology*, today announced that it has produced more than 1.3 metric tons of recombinant spider silk cocoons in a single month. This is a new world record and shatters the Company’s previous production record by a factor of five. Today marks a pivotal step forward in the transition of spider silk from laboratory innovation to an industrial-scale material platform.

New study shows low environmental impact by Cotton made in Africa Organic Cotton from Tanzania

Today, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is announcing the results of a comprehensive life-cycle analysis (LCA) for cotton produced in Tanzania under the Cotton made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic) standard. The study emphasises the small ecological footprint of CmiA Organic verified cotton. This can largely be traced back to the absence of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilisers, and artificial irrigation. Consequently, CmiA Organic cotton can help the textile industry meet regulatory requirements as well as science-based targets. The results also show that the consequences of climate change threaten the livelihoods of these cotton farmers, even though the type of agriculture they practise barely contributes to climate change.

Texhibition Istanbul signals stability and global connectivity

From 4 to 6 March 2026, Texhibition Istanbul once again brought together the international textile industry at the Istanbul Expo Center. Organized by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB), the fair confirmed its role as one of the most important international sourcing platforms for fabrics and textile innovation. With 500+ exhibitors across 5 halls on 42,850 sqm, the trade fair attracted 19,325 visitors. Among them, 5.565 international visitors represented Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, North America, and other regions, underlining the show’s expanding global reach.

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI redefine textile processing

Making investment decisions in textile processing has become significantly more demanding. Increasing energy costs, a shortage of skilled labour and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are compelling companies to focus on technologies that deliver clear gains in efficiency and process reliability. This applies equally to apparel manufacturing and to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. As a result, modernisation initiatives are assessed more carefully – even as the need to upgrade production systems continues to intensify.

VDMA members at Techtextil: Smart technologies for technical textiles

At Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, the members of VDMA Textile Machinery underline their key role as global technology leaders for technical textiles and textile processing. With a strong presence of more than 50 members they will highlight how engineering excellence, innovation strength and sustainability expertise from Germany and Europe are shaping the future of the textile industry. Seven companies will be present at the VDMA group stand in the centre of hall 12.0.

Techtextil 2026: Between innovation pressure & market reality

From 21 to 24 April 2026, Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main will once again become the central meeting point for the international technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Running in parallel, Texprocess will focus on the industrial implementation of textile processing technologies as the leading platform in this field. Together, the two trade fairs form a closely integrated presentation and working platform along the entire textile value chain – from material development to finished applications.