Post by Brett Mathews

US COTTON LCA PUTS BIOGENIC CARBON AT CENTRE OF FIBRE CLAIMS: This month’s Natural Fibres Briefing is a special 100 per cent Natural Fibres Insight edition, with all content freely available on the Apparel Insider website. The lead story is Cotton Incorporated's new life cycle assessment of US cotton fibre production, which reports a net cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas footprint of -0.264 kg CO2e per kg of US cotton fibre when temporary biogenic carbon stored in fibre and soil is included. NFI also interviewed Jesse Daystar, Ph.D. Daystar, VP and chief sustainability officer at Cotton Incorporated, about what the findings mean for brands. Daystar says, “this study updates the conversation,” because many fibre scoring tools still rely on older data, global averages or assumptions that do not reflect current US cotton production. The study is based on primary data from 753 cotton growers across 17 US states for the 2021/22 crop year. But Daystar is also clear on the limits. The finding, “does not mean every cotton product is ‘carbon negative'." It applies to cradle-to-gate fibre production, not finished products, use phase or end of life. For brand claims, his point is simple: “claims have to match the scope of the data." That means any communication needs to state that the result applies to US cotton fibre production, is cradle-to-gate, and includes temporary biogenic carbon storage in fibre and soil. Also in this month's newsletter: • Oritain data showing prohibited-cotton risk rising in finished garments despite wider traceability adoption • How natural fibre traceability is moving from marketing into compliance • A Nordic wool study identifying almost 3,000 tonnes of wool for potential circular value chains • ICAC’s new cotton carbon credits scheme, with potential farmer revenue of up to US$200 per hectare • A new study on pollution risks when natural fibres are openly burned in unmanaged waste streams • Brazil strengthening its position as the world’s leading cotton exporter • A mixed 2026 outlook for cotton, wool, silk, flax and hemp #cotton #naturalfibres #textiles #sustainability #traceability