‘Synthetic fibre is our enemy’: ICAC sets out battle plan
10/11/2014
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and cotton's true enemy is synthetic fibres” was the consensus among panellists and attendees at the Fourth Open Session of the International Cotton Advisory Committee's 73rd Plenary Meeting, National Cotton Brands: Strengthening Awareness of the Attributes of Cotton.
Speakers agreed that in light of cotton's ongoing battle with synthetic fibres, it's critical that all cotton-producing nations speak with a unified voice. Two sessions were dedicated to discuss how to best promote cotton as a brand. Members endorsed efforts to encourage consumption.
"Cotton is a business and competition is healthy, but at the end of the day, it's in all of our best interests to work together to increase the overall size of the pie," said Kevin Latner of Cotton Council International.
Delegates also discussed logistics in the supply chain and quality issues. Kenya and Mozambique have set up a joint initiative to establish a national cotton classing system, with 100% sampling and high-volume instrument (HVI) testing of cotton.
James Knowlton of USDA's Cotton Program agreed that instrument testing of cotton is "here to stay, because you will never maximize the value of cotton with hand-classing." He said that buyers are willing to pay a premium of several cents per pound in exchange for the quality assurance provided by machine testing. Equally important, he added, is what HVI testing can do to help make cotton more attractive relative to competing fibres.
"Instrument results add utility value to the cotton, and that's critical in the competition against synthetic fibres," he said. "When textile mills select bales, they need consistency. Hand classing is not sufficient to provide that for today's high-speed, modern textile mills."
Share this story:
