ICAC works to fortify the supply chain and asks, ‘What’s the Real Story about my T-shirt?’

1. In the first session, three industry experts discussed a topic that is core to the conference’s theme: strategies to make the global cotton industry more resilient. Dr Kater Hake of Cotton Incorporated, Ms La Rhea Pepper of the Textile Exchange, and Mr Anupam Gupta of Olam International were the featured presenters in the First Open Session, ‘Fortifying the Cotton Supply Chain’. A broad range of issues were discussed, including the challenges of climate change; increasing pest and disease threats; nutrient availability; and the need to emphasise regenerative, organic and circular practices.

2. The second session focussed on the future of textile labelling. Entitled, ‘What’s the Real Story about My T-shirt?’, no fewer than six experts offered their views:

a. Dr Jesse Daystar of Cotton Incorporated: ‘Data-Drive Labelling: Limitations and Opportunities’;

b. Ms Ingun Grimstad Klepp, Oslo Metropolitan University; ‘Do We Know Enough About Apparel and Sustainability to Develop a Simple, Trustworthy, Equitable and Science-based Labelling System?’;

c. Ms Dorothy Lovell, OECD: ‘Product Labels and Due Diligence’;

d. Ms Fabia Pryor, Country Road: ‘Biodiverse, Local and Verified: Country Road’s Approach to Cotton’;

e. Mr Michael Wessely, Co-Founder of Sheep Inc: ‘Future Positive Knitwear. Reconnecting Consumers Through Technology’; and

f. Ms La Rhea Pepper, Textile Exchange: ‘Consumer Engagement: Greenwashing or Education? The Truth in a Label’.

Speaker presentations will be uploaded by the end of each day to a web page that also lists the ICAC Plenary Meeting’s agenda (click here). An announcement will be sent in the coming weeks once all recorded presentations are uploaded and available on YouTube.??The ICAC’s Virtual 79th Plenary Meeting is being held 6-8 December with the theme, ‘Fortifying the Cotton Supply Chain: New Approaches to New Challenges’. The event is free to all and can be accessed by clicking here:

https://interprefy.interpret.world/user/sign-in