Driven by India and Turkey—Global Organic Cotton Production Will Skyrocket Say The Textile Exchange

Image Courtesy of Textile Exchange

The Organic Cotton Market Report from the Textile Exchange provides a unique analysis of key data and emerging trends in organic cotton production at global, regional, and country levels.

Each year, the report uses data from the previous harvest season and insights from industry insiders to shed light on current issues and priorities for the organic cotton sector.

Textile Exchange has collected data and insights on the global production of certified organic cotton for over 15 years and remains the only organization to do so

The report reveals that 2019/20 was a record-setting year for organic cotton, with the largest volume of organic cotton fibre harvested globally to date, and growth is set to skyrocket in 2020/21.

In total, 229,280 farmers grew 249,153 tonnes of organic cotton fibre on 588,425 hectares of certified organic land in 21 countries.

This represents a four percent growth in fibre volume and is the fourth year in a row that organic cotton production has increased. 

Organic cotton accounted for almost one percent of the global cotton harvest that season.

2020/21 Forecast

The early 1990’s marked the beginning of organic cotton production’s expansion as countries worldwide adopted national organic standards.

Flash forward 30 years and 2019/20 marks a record year for organic cotton.

Despite the Covid-19 scourge, 2019/20 witnessed the largest volume of  organic cotton fibre harvested globally to-date.

And while the tried-and-true players – India, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey – continue to lead the way, countries in East Africa(Tanzania and Uganda) were the biggest contributors to the year's global growth.

Organic cotton production is set to skyrocket in 2020/21, with an estimated 48% growth, stemming predominantly from India and Turkey.

In India, this growth is largely a result of increased demand causing organic cotton prices to increase.

This, in turn, makes it a more attractive option for farmers and is leading existing producers to dedicate a larger share of their certified organic land to growing cotton versus other crops.

In Turkey, increased demand is also the main driver, but the growth is more a result of new producers starting up organic cotton production.

About Textile Exchange

Textile Exchange is a global non profit that creates leaders in the preferred fiber and materials industry.

They build a community that can collectively accomplish what no individual or company can do alone.

They develop, manage, and promote a suite of leading industry standards, as well as collect and publish critical industry data and insights that enable brands and retailers to measure, manage and track their use of preferred fiber and materials.

With a robust membership representing leading brands, retailers, and suppliers, Textile Exchange is positively impacting climate through accelerating the use of preferred fibres across the global textile industry.

With their new Climate+ strategy, Textile Exchange is the driving force for urgent climate action on textile fibre and materials with a goal of 45% reduced CO2 emissions from textile fibre and material production by 2030.

By benchmarking the industry and providing actionable tools for improvement, Textile Exchange is driving a race to the top.