Raw Materials

2023-07-27

ICAC releases debut issue of the Specialty Cotton Report

The ICAC has released the first-ever Specialty Cotton Report, a new publication that was created to highlight the many new 'identity cottons' that have been emerging around the world.

The inaugural issue of the ICAC Specialty Cotton Report:

Is a brand new publication that highlights cotton varieties that are remarkable in some way;
Includes national programmes, private sector programmes, nonprofit programmes and general programmes such as organic, long- and extra-long staple cotton; and
Will be released twice each year.

For the ICAC's purposes, 'specialty cotton' refers to any cotton that is remarkable in some way — long or extra-long staple, or falls under a specific identity programme. Among the types of specialty cottons covered in this report are long- and extra-long staple cottons from the USA, Egypt, India and China, as well as a host of identity programmes:

Better Cotton Initiative and equivalents;

Brazil's ABR programme;

Cotton made in Africa;

Australia's myBMP;

Israel's ICPSS;

US Cotton Trust Protocol;

BASF's e3;

CottonConnects's REEL;

FairTrade; and

Organic cotton.

The Specialty Cotton Report replaces the Extra-fine Cotton Update, according to the author, ICAC Commodity Trade Analyst Ms Parkhi Vats.

'Because production of long- and extra-long staple cotton has declined over the years, we decided to expand the scope of the publication to include other 'specialty cottons' that have been introduced recently', Ms Vats said. 'Climate change and the increasing emphasis on sustainability have been driving the creation of identity programmes all over the world and we saw a need to educate the marketplace about what they are and what they seek to do'.

The Specialty Cotton Report will be published twice each year and this inaugural issue is free to all. To access the publication, please click at the link below. When you've read it, please give ICAC your thoughts by taking a 30-second survey.