World Cotton Day is observed on 07th October every year to revere the marvel that is cotton. From cotton production to fiber to fabric, cotton is regarded to be one of the few naturally sustainable fabrics.

Cotton production is touted to be one of the leading causes of pollution across the globe. Cotton is an everlasting ingredient in the recipe of life on earth. An all-natural fiber that grows in various climates, today is the day we celebrate cotton. A global celebration that is cotton has made significant and exigent contributions to living.

The theme for World Cotton Day in 2021 is ‘Cotton for Good.’ Cotton production in the world provides employment to millions of people, especially in least-developed countries.

Why is World Cotton Day celebrated? 

Why is World Cotton Day celebrated in the first place?  The World Trade Organisation (WTO) launched the World Cotton Day to raise awareness about cotton that is at the core of over 75 countries and 5 continents’ agriculture. This valuable commodity serves bread and butter to at least 28.67 million growers across the globe.

The cotton sector in India is considered to be the second most developed sector in the books of the textile industry. India takes the pride of being the world’s largest producer of cotton by checking 18% of the total production. Maharashtra in India accounts for the highest cotton cultivation.  In addition to this, India prides itself in exporting yarn to Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and many more countries. Foreign fashion giants like Tommy Hilfiger, Reebok, Levis, Nike, GAP and much more import Cotton produced in India.

How Eco-Friendly is Cotton Production?

Moving ahead in the discussion of cotton, another important element to be discussed is cotton production. Cotton production happens to be producing one of the world’s widely used naturally sustainable materials. However, this naturally sustainable fibre goes through a wide range of stages in the production process. The concern here lies in the harm the process of cotton production puts in the environment.

According to WWF and The World Counts, here are some of the alarming unknown facts about cotton production:

• About 20,000 liters of water is needed to produce a kilogram of cotton fiber.
• Cotton cultivation accounts for about 69% of the textiles industry’s fiber production water footprint.
• Carbon emissions from cotton production amount to around 220 million metric tons yearly.

Humongous amounts of waste have been a byproduct of this enduring process and textile industry has been the unfortunate spectator. Although organic cotton has come to the fore of textile industry, the more burning question still remains – How do we make the process of cotton production less harmful to the environment?

World Cotton Day is a celebration of a natural fiber that has been the core element of humanity for numerous centuries. It is time we turn our attention towards making the process of cotton production more eco-friendly.

World Cotton Day – Everything You Need to Know