Think Beyond Cotton

Quest To Replace The Indispensable Fibre.

The Fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, just after oil. Cotton has been regarded as the most breathable and natural fabric; it hasm however, come under the scanner as the crop takes acres of land to grow and requires a lot of water as well. Cotton is cultivated in over 33 million hectares in about 80 countriesm which makes it 2.5% of the world's cultivable land. Even though cotton has a very natural image, the conventional cultivation of the crop has many side effects on people and the environment as it results in loss of fertility in soil and imbalance of water reserves. On the average, a cotton T-shirt requires 2,700 litres of water from cultivation to dyeing, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Conventional cotton uses pesticides, which are harmful to both farmers and the soil that they work on.

India, the world’s largest producer of cotton, still needs to import cotton from other countries because of rising demand. In fact, due to increasing demand of cotton, India doubled its cotton import as its domestic production was hit by pests and draughts. Import of cotton in India increased to Rs. 4.39 billion in July from Rs. 3.30 billion in June 2016. Imports were the highest in September 2014, going up to Rs. 6.94 billion. India is looking overseas for the fibre as its own production reportedly fell by 12% to 33.8 million bales this year. This has resulted in rise of cotton prices in the country. Cotton prices globally have fallen whereas in India, prices have risen by up to 50%. This has led the mills in India to either import cotton from abroad or use its alternatives like cellulose.