Farmers

Pakistan's cotton industry faces its worst crisis in decades, with production plummeting to historic lows whilst ginning mills shut en masse. As the government considers emergency tax relief measures, the textile sector's survival hangs in balance, threatening millions of livelihoods and the nation's crucial export earnings.

Wool, long regarded as a symbol of New Zealand’s pastoral heritage and a sustainable alternative in an increasingly eco-conscious world, is set to take centre stage again, as it gets knitted into a government directive mandating the use of Kiwi-grown and manufactured wool carpets in public sector buildings.

The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) has published the findings of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study highlighting the environmental benefits of organic cotton farming in India, offering detailed, locally relevant data demonstrating organic cotton’s reduced environmental impact compared to conventional farming.

The just-released CottonConnect Impact Report 2024 analyses the outcomes of sustainable agricultural practices and urges the textiles industry to collectively work toward increasing responsible production of raw materials and supporting smallholder farmers to attain a resilient future.

Working at the intersections of farming, leather and fashion, Alice Robinson and Sara Grady founded British Pasture Leather (BPL) to reshape entrenched perceptions of leather and forge the disconnection of this natural material from its source: farms, land and animals. The co-founder duo share how they embarked on their remarkable journey from field to fork and fashion.

Aimed to empower smallholder farmers, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) and International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) have launched a project to promote carbon credits in African cotton production.

Cotton production is under multi-dimensional stress in Pakistan brought about collectively by factors ranging from low yields to low government support, to outdated farming methods on many of the farms, to constant fragmentation of farmland from one generation to the next, to the palpable impact of climatic change.

Soorty Enterprises' reverse vertical integration effort sources responsibly grown fibre and improves farmer incomes in Pakistan's most impoverished areas. Eda Dikmen, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager and Mobeen Chughtai, Head of Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, talk about fibres, regenerative agriculture and the climate crisis. This is the second of a 2-part interview.

Soorty Enterprises is the only company with LEED Platinum and Cradle2Cradle Gold certifications for both its denim mill and garment factory. Eda Dikmen, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager and Mobeen Chughtai, Head of Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, talk about cotton, denim and climate goals. This is the first of a 2-part interview.

Does Denmark’s tax on livestock carbon emissions, to run effective from 2030, make scientific sense? Will it help the environmental, human health or farming livelihoods? Will the move impact the leather industry outside of Denmark? texfash probes.