Brazil is the world's second largest exporter and fourth largest producer of cotton. The main markets for Brazilian cotton in Asia are China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia. Brazil has exported 1.58 million tons of cotton from August 2021 to April 2022. As the fashion industry in Asia continues to grow, Brazil plans to increase its cotton production capacity. In the next cycle, it is projected that cotton shipments from Brazil can reach 1.74 million tons. As one of the largest producers, Brazil is aware of the environmental impact of cotton production. That is why, Brazil launched Cotton Brazil, an international market development program to promote agricultural sustainability.
“Through research and innovation over the past two decades, we have striven towards appropriate agricultural practices that optimize the use of efficient water systems, avoid overproduction, and ensure that cotton cultivation is sustainable,” said Marcelo Duarte - Director of International Relations, The Brazilian Cotton. Growers Association (ABRAPA).
The Indonesian textile industry, which 41% of its cotton imports come from Brazil, is considered to have positive growth potential. This will be even better in the future by utilizing sustainable raw materials. To strengthen cooperation with various companies engaged in the textile sector in Indonesia while promoting the use of natural fibers, especially cotton, Cotton Brazil made visits to a number of countries in all major markets.
“Especially for Indonesia, we are planning a Seller Mission in the fourth quarter, which will allow us to forge stronger partnerships with companies across the industry value chain, from our local merchants and merchants to trade associations,” explained Marcelo.
Challenges of Achieving a Sustainable Textile Industry
One of the challenges related to sustainability efforts in the textile industry is regarding waste management, especially if the industry continues to use synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon.
Textile recycling is also hampered by a lack of technology, for which there will be a need for better collection systems that can automate and sort different fabrics simultaneously.
Marcelo added, aside from wastage of fabric, circularity scaling remains a challenging task when most industries still rely on linear systems. Long-distance logistics and supply chain issues are also key factors preventing more businesses from adopting the circular model, such as post-consumer waste collection and high logistics costs in shipping recycled fabrics.
"To encourage traders and textile producers in Asia to use sustainable cotton, Cotton Brazil will form a more strategic partnership and further boost our market share in key Asian markets," concluded Marcelo.
