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Textiles & Fibers

Cotton is a comfortable and extremely versatile fabric. Around two thirds of the world’s annual production of cotton is used to make clothing, from overcoats and jackets to underwear and jeans.

Industrial products containing cotton are as diverse as coffee filters, medical supplies, industrial thread and tarpaulins.

The fiber from just one 227kg cotton bale can produce 215 pairs of jeans, 250 single bed sheets, 1,200 t-shirts, 2,100 pairs of boxer shorts, 3,000 nappies, 4,300 pairs of socks or 680,000 cotton balls.

There are 43 species of cotton in the world

Cotton and Sustainability

From sourcing certified cotton to promoting agricultural best practice within and beyond our value chain, we work proactively toward increasingly sustainable operations and supply chains, both as LDC and in collaboration with partner organizations such as the Better Cotton Initiative.

LDC has also begun using  a ‘diagnostic’ system that applies DNA to determine the purity and quality of some of its cotton.

Developed by Applied DNA Sciences, the technology uses tiny genetic markers that are sprayed on the cotton at the gin just before packaging. The DNA markers bind to the plant’s fibers and act as a microscopic barcode that can be tracked throughout the supply chain.

The labels PimaCott and Homegrown, which are used to brand the cotton that is traced through DNA, are useful for manufacturers, traders and retailers. And if consumers see these labels on a product, they have an absolute guarantee that the cotton used in its manufacture was responsibly sourced and produced.

Sustainable Cotton