World Cotton Day is a global, United Nations-recognized celebration held every year on October 7 under the permanent theme, “Cotton for Good.” The day has two primary functions:

• To educate people about cotton’s immense contributions to livelihoods, trade, economic development, sustainability, and communities around the world, and
  

• To empower governments, private sector businesses, schools, farmers, organizations, and individuals to come up with their own ways to support cotton on October 7.
  

“World Cotton Day belongs to the entire global cotton and textile community,” said Eric Trachtenberg, Executive Director of the ICAC. “The new website gives people everywhere a place to learn why cotton matters, discover what others are doing, access resources, and find their own way to participate on October 7.”

The redesigned website was developed with the support of Wakefield Inspection Services, the Official Digital Sponsor of World Cotton Day.

More than a new look

The new www.WorldCottonDay.com has been designed not simply as an event website, but as an educational and promotional resource for cotton throughout the year.

Visitors can explore the many ways cotton contributes to people, economies, and the environment through the site’s Why Cotton Matters section, with topics including employment and livelihoods, women’s empowerment, global trade and economic development, soil health, water use, biodegradability, climate change, food and livestock feed, and regenerative agriculture.

The website also turns that perspective around with "A World Without Cotton," a concept that explores what would happen if cotton suddenly disappeared.

The section examines some of the consequences the world could face, including the loss of millions of livelihoods, reduced opportunities for rural communities and women, disruption to international trade, the loss of cottonseed products from the food system, and greater reliance on petroleum-based synthetic fibers — potentially resulting in increased fossil fuel consumption, plastic waste, and microplastic pollution.

A concept video introduces the idea, and the World Cotton Day organizers hope to expand it into a longer, professionally produced film if additional funding and partners can be secured.

The website redesign was made possible thanks to Wakefield Inspection Services, the Official Digital Partner of World Cotton Day.

Everyone can participate

A major focus of the redesigned website is encouraging people to take part in World Cotton Day themselves.

There is no single way to celebrate.

Around the world, World Cotton Day activities held since 2019 have included conferences, farm and factory visits, educational programs, photography and essay contests, parades, exhibitions, social media campaigns, fashion events, school activities, videos, and community celebrations.

The new website offers ideas for participation and encourages visitors to ask themselves a simple question: What will you do for cotton?

To make it easier for people to answer that question, WorldCottonDay.com also provides free materials to help organizations and individuals promote their activities:

• The official World Cotton Day logo in numerous languages,
  

• Infographics explaining World Cotton Day and cotton’s benefits,
  

• Multiple videos, and
  

• Promotional materials and other content that can be used and shared online and around the world.
  

One Month to Go

World Cotton Day was first celebrated in 2019 and received permanent recognition from the United Nations General Assembly in 2021, when October 7 was officially designated as World Cotton Day on its Permanent Calendar.

Seven international organizations now work together each year to hold a World Cotton Day Partners Conference: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), International Trade Centre (ITC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and World Trade Organization (WTO).

The 2026 World Cotton Day Partners Conference is free to attend and will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 7, but the observance extends far beyond any single conference or country.

Organizations and individuals everywhere are encouraged to begin planning their own activities now. Please contact ICAC Communications Director Mike McCue when your plans are finalized so he can add your event to the interactive globe on the new website, ensuring people will be aware of your support for cotton.

Visit www.WorldCottonDay.com to learn more, find resources, and get involved.

October 7 is coming. What will you do for cotton?

World Cotton Day is a United Nations-recognized observance celebrated annually on October 7. It raises awareness of cotton’s role in livelihoods, trade, economic development, and regenerative agriculture while celebrating the farmers, workers, businesses, researchers, organizations, and communities that make up the global cotton and textile value chain. Its permanent theme is “Cotton for Good.”