[pageLogInLogOut]

#Raw Materials

United Nations designates 7 October ‘World Cotton Day’ on its permanent calendar

The United Nations has announced that it will approve designating 7 October of each year as World Cotton Day on its permanent calendar. First launched in 2019 at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, World Cotton Day continues to grow each year.

On World Cotton Day, stakeholders from the global cotton community come together to speak on the many benefits of cotton including the facts that:

• Cotton is grown in over 70 countries and provides an income to hundreds of millions of people every year.

• A single ton of cotton provides year-round employment for an estimated 5 or 6 people (often in some of the most impoverished places on earth.)

• Cotton is the only agricultural crop to provide both food and fiber.

• Cotton has a negative carbon footprint and degrades 95% more than polyester in wastewater helping to keep our land and water clean.



The event theme for 2021 is ‘Cotton for Good’ to celebrate the fibre’s enduring positive impact. A virtual celebration will feature notable speakers such as Bert Jacobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Life is Good, and Maxine Bédat, Director of New Standard Institute. Other global industry experts include Cotton Council International, Viterra India, International Cotton Advisory Committee, Better Cotton Initiative and African Cotton Foundation. Keynote topics include responsible fashion, sustainability and the importance of cotton in countries around the world.

With the cotton industry’s focus on sustainability, attendees will learn about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol®, which aligns with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production.

To learn more about the activities planned for World Cotton Day, please visit http://www.worldcottonday.com.

Follow #WorldCottonDay on social media and join the global conversation.


More News from International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC)

More News on Raw Materials

#Raw Materials

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.

#Raw Materials

Kimberly-Clark develops alternative natural fiber platform for hygiene products

Kimberly-Clark has introduced a proprietary innovation program aimed at developing alternative natural fibers for future hygiene products. The company has created a patented materials platform based on fibers derived from hesperaloe, a drought-tolerant succulent native to the southwestern United States.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Indorama Ventures advances circularity tthrough PETValue Philippines' “Zero Waste to Landfill Partnership” with Republic Cement

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical company, is advancing the circular economy through a new Zero Waste to Landfill initiative at its recycling site PETValue Philippines, further demonstrating how collaboration across industries can maximize resource efficiency and reduce waste.

#Natural Fibers

Better Cotton Initiative multistakeholder event in US unpacks regenerative agriculture potential

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), in collaboration with Texas-based partner, Quarterway Cotton Growers, will expand upon its annual US field event to relay the vast potential of regenerative agriculture through an immersive experience of tours and demonstrations.

Latest News

#Functional Fabrics

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

#Nonwoven machines

MENANG rapidly resumes production with new ANDRITZ airlay line after major fire

MENANG, a Malaysian manufacturer of nonwoven automotive components, has resumed production after a major fire severely damaged its airlay line in mid-March 2026. A new airlay line supplied by ANDRITZ enabled production to restart within only four months.

#Exhibitions & Events

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

#ITMA Asia + CITME 2026

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2026 Shanghai showcases intelligent and sustainable manufacturing

From 20 to 24 November 2026, the textile machinery industry will gather in Shanghai for ITMA ASIA + CITME 2026, Asia’s leading business platform for textile machinery, to be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The exhibition will occupy seven halls, with a total gross exhibition area of about 180,000 square metres. The exhibition has expanded by 10% over the last edition which reflects the continued industry interest in the region.

TOP