International Cotton Association Ltd

Welcome and thanks to Wakefield Inspection Services, Associate sponsors of ICA Liverpool 2024. Find out more and register here: https://loom.ly/Rv9mYnY  #ICALiv24

#TruthTuesday

Episode 2 of the ICA's new podcast, The Thing About Cotton, is now available on all major podcasting platforms! Featuring Eva Bille (EU Policy Director, Hill & Knowlton Brussels) as she discusses EU legislation and its impact on the global value chain, the concern that PEF regulation would favour manmade fiber over cotton and much more. Speaking of her episode, Eva says; “I feel it is important to have these conversations now so that the cotton supply chain can fully understand this new legislation and the potential impact it may have”. Listen to #TTACotton's 2nd episode: https://loom.ly/zb5h3MU Like and share this post using #TTACotton for a chance to win a #WomeninCotton t-shirt

Episode 1 of the ICA's new podcast, The Thing About Cotton, is now available on all major podcasting platforms! Featuring ICA President, Kim Hanna as she explains the history of the ICA and how the cotton industry is structured. Kim says; “I am confident this initiative has huge potential to communicate the positive story of cotton... I urge those in the industry or those interested in it, to listen and engage.” Listen to #TTACotton's 1st episode: https://loom.ly/zb5h3MU Like & share using #TTACotton for a chance to win a #WomeninCotton t-shirt

We are excited to announce the launch of our new podcast - The Thing About Cotton. Join hosts from the #WomeninCotton committee and their guests as they explore the anatomy of the cotton value chain and bring awareness to the industry through highlighting female leaders and their achievement. The first 2 episodes are now available. Read the full story and listen to #TTACotton: https://loom.ly/Gv0cMmI

#TruthTuesday was on vacation last week, which means we’re raring to go today! As we promised two weeks ago, today’s #Truth is a follow-up to this post about pesticides: https://lnkd.in/eNVNrB69 That thread addressed the myths about cotton and pesticides in general, and it was the focus of the March 2024 ICAC Recorder — but there’s another layer to the story — the category known as highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs), a group of chemicals so virulent that they warrant special consideration. These materials are the subject of the June 2024 Recorder (both issues available for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/d84Nhdn). The Environmental Justice Foundation asserts that “cotton uses over 16% of global insecticides and a higher proportion of HHPs than any other crop.” They state that “globally, 69.1% of pesticides used on cotton are HHPs, compared to 25.8% on cereals and 43.5% on rice.” Indeed, those numbers look … well, not so good for our favorite natural fiber. But do they tell the whole #TruthAboutCotton? In the opening editorial of the June Recorder, ICAC Chief Scientist Dr Keshav Kranthi says the answer is a resounding NO. He says: "According to ICAC, the average share of HHPs in cotton’s pesticide use from 2018 to 2022 was 13.04%, significantly lower than the figures presented by advocacy groups. This discrepancy highlights how selective data presentation can skew public perception and policy discourse. "A comparative analysis of pesticide use across different crops shows that vegetables and flowers; soybeans; wheat; and rice exhibit higher overall pesticide usage than cotton. For instance, cotton’s average usage of highly hazardous fungicides (HHFs) — 1,475 tonnes annually from 2018 to 2022 — ranks below 14 crops," he points out. As always, we speak #Truth here: Other data points aren’t a good look for cotton. For example, from 2018-2022, cotton ranked third in global highly hazardous insecticide usage, averaging 8,671 tonnes annually. The point is that these discussions are rarely simple — they require patience, as well as a thoughtful, nuanced, open-minded approach. Cotton’s goal is to get better, and cherry-picking certain data points — whether they portray cotton in a good light or a bad one — does nothing but muddy the waters and confuse the people who need accurate information to make decisions about what products they want to buy, or what policies they want to enact. Combined, these last two issues of the ICAC Recorder contain nearly 90 pages of facts, analysis, charts, tables, and insights from Dr Kranthi, providing the framework that must be established before this important conversation about pesticide usage can even begin. Everyone is welcome to join that conversation, but if you do, check your myths, half-truths, and disinformation at the door — because only those who speak the #TruthAboutCotton will have their voices heard. 

Cotton is innovative - cotton as a source of protein 🏆Just recently, researcher Dr. David Fang, Agricultural Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture, received the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) Researcher of the Year award for breeding a cotton variety that contains low levels of gossypol.   Gossypol is incompatible with humans, so the protein-rich seeds cannot be used for human consumption yet. Assuming that an average annual production of 25 million tonnes of fibre results in more than 40 million tonnes of seeds, this is a huge potential source of plant protein. 💡   #cotton #cottonisinnovative #innovation https://lnkd.in/eqDyep_p  

Welcome and thanks to Toyoshima, Executive sponsors of ICA Liverpool 2024. Find out more and register here: https://loom.ly/Rv9mYnY  #ICALiv24

Have you secured your accommodation yet for Liverpool 2024? The conference hotel is now sold out but we have secured a limited number of rooms at the Municipal Hotel & Spa, a short walk to the conference hotel (& venue for the event’s Welcome Party). To secure a room at a preferential, contact [email protected] for booking details #ICALiv24 https://loom.ly/q1FxPQw

Welcome and thanks to Intertek, Associate sponsors of ICA Liverpool 2024. Find out more and register here: https://loom.ly/Rv9mYnY  #ICALiv24