By K. Gopalakrishnan

As the global textile and apparel industry navigates shifting trade dynamics, rising sustainability expectations and an increasing demand for transparency, cotton is once again emerging as the fibre of choice for brands and consumers alike. However, the future of cotton will no longer be defined solely by fibre quality or production volumes. It will increasingly depend on verified sustainability, end-to-end traceability, technological innovation and resilient global partnerships that deliver confidence across the entire value chain.

The United States cotton industry has been at the forefront of this transformation, combining premium fibre quality with measurable sustainability outcomes, digital traceability and close collaboration with textile manufacturers worldwide. At the same time, India’s growing importance as one of the world’s largest cotton producers, processors, spinners and apparel exporters is creating new opportunities for deeper engagement between U.S. cotton suppliers and the Indian textile industry.

In this exclusive Cover Story for The Textile Magazine, Dr. Gary Adams, President & CEO, National Cotton Council, Ms. Liz Hershfield, Executive Director, Cotton Council International and Director, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and Mr. Marc Lewkowitz, President & CEO, SUPIMA®, share their perspectives on the evolving global cotton market, sustainability and traceability, premium cotton, international trade, brand engagement and the pivotal role India will play in shaping the future of the global textile value chain. Together, they present a comprehensive vision of how quality, transparency and collaboration are redefining the global cotton ecosystem.  

Interview with Dr. Gary Adams

President & CEO, National Cotton Council

Q1. The global cotton industry is navigating a complex landscape shaped by economic uncertainties, shifting trade flows, sustainability expectations, and evolving consumer demand. How do you assess the current state of the global cotton market, and what are the key trends that will shape its future?

The global cotton market is showing real resilience. Demand remains steady, supported by consumer spending in major cotton-consuming economies, including the United States and the European Union, even against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and shifting trade flows. For producing countries, the central question is whether improvement in underlying demand can translate into price levels that will allow growers to cope with increased production costs.

Several trends will shape the market’s trajectory. Consumers, and the brands serving them, increasingly want to understand how their cotton is grown and sourced, and that preference is reshaping global sourcing decisions. Sustainability and traceability have shifted from differentiators to baseline market expectations, and U.S. cotton’s verified, transparent approach positions it to capture that demand.

Fiber economics are also moving in cotton’s favor. Higher crude oil prices have increased the cost of synthetic fibers and narrowed their traditional price advantage, while ongoing constraints in synthetic supply chains add further pressure. As a natural, renewable fiber, cotton is well positioned to benefit, and these dynamics are expected to support stronger cotton consumption across the global textile industry.

Taken together, these trends point to a market that increasingly rewards quality, reliability, and transparency. The opportunity is to build a more resilient global cotton economy that delivers lasting value to growers, manufacturers, brands, and consumers alike.

Q2. The United States continues to be one of the world’s largest cotton exporters. What factors have enabled U.S. cotton to maintain its competitiveness in international markets, and how do you see its role evolving in the global textile supply chain?

The U.S. remains one of the world’s leading cotton exporters, with shipments currently estimated at 2.7 million tons, which accounts for 88% of total offtake of the U.S. crop. U.S. cotton’s value is sustained by a combination of consistent fiber quality, low contamination, reliable contract performance, advanced production practices, and a firm commitment to sustainability and transparency. That quality begins at the farm, where rigorous production standards and modern agricultural practices deliver a reliable, high-performing fiber. Paired with manufacturing efficiency and superior product performance, this consistency carries through from fiber to fabric — helping brands enhance product value, optimize production, and meet consumer expectations with confidence.

COTTON USA’s commitment to its partners extends well beyond the product itself, reflected in its role as a facilitator, advocate, and trusted resource across the global textile value chain. The U.S. cotton industry engages the textile community directly –convening global events and community-building forums that showcase innovation, connect partners across the supply chain, and accelerate knowledge transfer.

Looking ahead, U.S. cotton’s role is evolving from a reliable supplier of premium fiber to a strategic partner in the global textile economy. As buyers place greater value on consistency, dependable supply, and transparency, U.S. cotton is positioned to anchor resilient supply chains and command added value, strengthening its competitiveness and its standing in key growth markets.

Q3. India remains one of the world’s largest producers, consumers, and processors of cotton. How important is the Indian market to the U.S. cotton industry, and how has the relationship between U.S. cotton and Indian textile manufacturers evolved over the years?

India currently sits as a Top-5 export market for the U.S. cotton industry, given its standing as one of the world’s largest consumers and processors of cotton. As a leading textile-manufacturing powerhouse, India plays a critical role in supplying cotton yarn, fabric, apparel, and home textiles to both domestic and international markets.

Over the years, the relationship between U.S. cotton and the Indian textile industry has evolved from a traditional buyer–seller dynamic into a deeper, value-driven partnership. Indian mills increasingly recognize the advantages of U.S. cotton, including consistent quality, contamination-free fiber, reliable supply, and strong spinning performance, all of which help manufacturers improve operational efficiency, enhance product quality, and meet the demanding specifications of global brands and retailers.

India has set an ambitious target of expanding its textile and apparel industry to USD 350 billion by 2030, including USD 100 billion in exports. Reaching that goal will require a substantial increase in the availability of high-quality cotton fiber to support the sector’s growth, competitiveness, and export ambitions. As India works to grow textile exports from their current level of USD 36 billion, sourcing quality cotton from the U.S. is expected to play an increasingly important role in meeting the quality and consistency requirements of global brands and retailers.

This year (MY 2026/27), India’s cotton consumption is estimated at 5.7 million metric tons and is expected to grow further, supported by key free trade agreements taking effect in the upcoming season. The U.S. remains India’s largest export destination for textiles and apparel, accounting for approximately USD 10.5 billion — roughly 28% of India’s total textile exports.

Q4. Trade policies and geopolitical developments continue to influence cotton flows and sourcing decisions worldwide. What opportunities and challenges do you foresee for cotton-producing and cotton-consuming nations in the years ahead?

Looking ahead, the greatest opportunity lies in expanding and securing market access and building trade relationships and supply chains that can withstand volatility. Producing and consuming nations that invest in reliability, quality, and transparent sourcing will be best positioned as supply chains consolidate around dependable partners and regulatory expectations increase. The principal challenge is continued policy uncertainty and uneven enforcement; the markets that align around clear, credible standards will turn that uncertainty into competitive advantage.

Q5. Looking ahead, what is your vision for the global cotton industry, and what role will innovation, sustainability, and international collaboration play in ensuring cotton remains the preferred natural fibre for future generations?

My vision is for cotton to remain the world’s preferred natural fiber, and for the U.S. cotton industry to lead by competing on quality, innovation, and trust. Realizing that means sustained growth in global demand, deeper trade partnerships, and a relentless focus on the efficiency and competitiveness that keep cotton financially viable for growers and attractive to brands.

Innovation is central to that future. Advances in precision agriculture, plant breeding, and production efficiency are necessary to improve yields and fiber quality while lowering production costs, keeping U.S. cotton competitive in a demanding global market. Continued investment in research and technology will be essential to meeting future demand.

International collaboration is equally important. The U.S. cotton industry works to expand market access, strengthen relationships across the global textile value chain, and prioritize high-potential markets, with India foremost among them.

Sustainability and traceability will remain integral to cotton’s future and is core to long-term demand. The verifiable data and traceability that brands increasingly require are delivered through the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, voluntary field-level sustainability program and traceability platform for U.S. cotton.

Interview with Ms. Liz Hershfield – Building Trust Through Sustainability, Traceability and Transparency

Executive Director, Cotton Council International & Director, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

Q1. Sustainability has become a central focus across the textile value chain. How is U.S. cotton helping brands, retailers, and manufacturers meet increasingly demanding sustainability goals while maintaining performance and quality standards?

Today’s consumer demand for cotton is shaped by four key forces: comfort, transparency, quality, and credibility. Consumers still want pieces that feel good and fit seamlessly into their lives, but they’re now asking far more sophisticated questions about origin, impact, and integrity. It’s no longer enough for a fabric to perform – it has to stand for something, and it has to come with proof. That shift is exactly where U.S. cotton has a real advantage and where COTTON USA™ helps to bridge the gap.

We work closely with the full supply chain to elevate U.S. cotton because it brings a unique combination of quality, transparency and measurable progress. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol was launched in 2020 as the voluntary field-level sustainability program and traceability platform for U.S. cotton to bring greater credibility, consistency, and transparency to how cotton sustainability is measured and communicated.

The Trust Protocol helps address the growing demand for sustainable cotton, improves supply chain transparency, provides a standardized approach of measuring and verifying sustainability performance in the U.S. cotton industry, and it gives brands & retailers the assurance they need that the U.S. cotton they are sourcing is produced responsibly and sustainably.

A 413% year-over-year increase in Protocol Consumption Unit (PCCU) uptake saw 20 brands track 126,000 tons of Trust Protocol fiber, translating into approximately 690 million finished products. This robust system provides unprecedented transparency, enabling brands to verify U.S. cotton origin with confidence and meet rising consumer and regulatory demand for supply chain visibility.

This accountability never comes at the expense of performance. U.S. cotton’s inherent qualities — breathability, durability, and versatility — are timeless, and through COTTON USA™ Solutions we partner directly with mills and manufacturers to optimize every stage of production, from spinning and weaving to dyeing and finishing. When mills pair U.S. cotton with that technical guidance, we consistently see stronger yarn quality, greater production efficiency, reduced waste, and more consistent output — gains that translate directly into higher-quality, more reliable end products. That combination is the U.S. cotton difference: verified sustainability and measurable progress paired with the consistent quality and performance brands and consumers expect.

Q2. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has emerged as one of the industry’s leading sustainability and traceability initiatives. Could you share how the program is evolving and the value it delivers to brands, retailers, and supply chain partners worldwide?

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, the leading program for responsibly grown U.S. cotton, has delivered meaningful gains across all six of its sustainability metrics against a 2015 baseline. This comprehensive dataset makes the Trust Protocol the first sustainable cotton fiber program to offer such robust, verifiable evidence of its impact, establishing its growers as leaders in sustainable production and giving the global supply chain unparalleled assurance.

Protocol growers have met or exceeded five of the six ambitious 2025 National Goals for Continuous Improvement, tangible progress for brands and retailers committed to environmental stewardship and responsible sourcing:

• A 15% reduction in land use needed per pound of cotton, achieving the 2025 goal a year early, with Protocol growers producing 20% more cotton per acre than the U.S. average;
• An 87% improvement in water-use efficiency, growing the same volume of cotton with 47% less irrigation water despite drought conditions, exceeding the 2025 goal;
• A 28% reduction in energy footprint, lowering Scope 3 emissions for downstream partners and exceeding the 2025 goal;
• An 89% reduction in soil loss, preserving vital topsoil and bringing erosion well below recognized thresholds, exceeding the 2025 goal;
• A soil-health milestone, with growers on 71% of acres now actively building healthier, carbon-storing soils, meeting the 2025 goal; and
• A 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, achieved through optimized nitrogen-use efficiency and precision irrigation.

These results are clear evidence of our growers’ commitment, proof that sustainable practices are driving measurable impact at scale and giving brands credible data to substantiate their sustainability claims.

Q3. Having worked closely with some of the world’s leading fashion brands, what are the most important sustainability and sourcing priorities you see shaping the future of the apparel and textile industry?

Three priorities are shaping the industry’s future: verifiable traceability from fields to finished product, the shift toward regenerative agriculture, and readiness for a fast-tightening regulatory landscape. U.S. cotton, through the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, is built to deliver on all three, and our momentum shows brands are responding.

In 2025, the Trust Protocol launched a pilot program to formally recognize and verify regenerative agriculture practices at the field level, building a scalable and credible pathway for Trust Protocol Regenerative Cotton to move through the supply chain. Nearly two-thirds (63%) plant cover crops, and more than half (57%) of acres are under no-till or conservation tillage. These practices are essential to building soil health and sequestering carbon, offering brands a credible pathway to nature-positive sourcing.

For brands and retailers, this provides access to verified, traceable regenerative U.S. cotton at the scale needed to meet sourcing goals and respond to growing consumer and stakeholder interest in regenerative agriculture. Backed by robust verification and bale-level traceability, the program gives brands the data needed to report on regenerative sourcing with confidence.

The expanded scale of our traceability system clearly demonstrates that the supply chain is embracing this new level of transparency. We are providing the essential tools for brands to trace cotton to the finished product, enabling them to communicate their sourcing strategies with greater accuracy, confidence, and compliance, and to meet the verifiable-data requirements of emerging regulations such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), alongside growing stakeholder scrutiny.

Last month, the U.S Cotton Trust Protocol introduced a new Physical Assurance Program to verify the origin of U.S. cotton. Developed in partnership with Oritain, a global leader in forensic origin verification, the program will use forensic science to independently validate the source of U.S. cotton. This added layer of assurance aims to strengthen supply chain integrity and increase confidence among Trust Protocol members.

Q4. India is home to one of the world’s most comprehensive textile value chains. How is Cotton Council International engaging with Indian spinning mills, textile manufacturers, exporters, and brands to strengthen the adoption of sustainable U.S. cotton?

India ranks among our top five consumers, and number one for U.S. Pima, where it leads the world in consumption. COTTON USA™ is actively engaging its mill partners with dedicated solutions to improve efficiency and reduce waste. We now have more than 341 Indian mills and manufacturers enrolled in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and our brand and retailer partners are actively scaling their U.S. cotton programs. Since the start of 2026, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol membership in India has grown 31% (through June 2026). Through COTTON USA™ SOLUTIONS’ Mill Performance Index, more than 47 spinning units have now enrolled.

Q5. As transparency and traceability become critical requirements for global sourcing, how do you envision the future of responsible cotton supply chains, and what role will digital technologies and data-driven verification play in this transformation?

In today’s market, transparency and accountability are essential. Our traceability solution delivers data-driven insight into the cotton supply chain, enabling participants to make informed decisions, build trust with stakeholders, and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and responsible sourcing. The program’s strength rests on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol’s three key pillars, Supply Chain Traceability, Environmental Data, and Continuous Improvement, which together underpin its accuracy, traceability, and the credibility and trust it earns across the supply chain.

The platform tracks three distinct fiber types, U.S. Cotton, U.S Cotton Trust Protocol Cotton and U.S Cotton Trust Protocol Regenerative Cotton, through every stage of the supply chain, capturing detailed transaction data and maintaining a verified fiber inventory. It also provides comprehensive environmental-metric data, empowering members to track and improve their environmental footprint, comply with regulations, and drive continuous improvement.

Interview with Mr. Marc Lewkowitz – Elevating Premium Cotton Through Quality, Innovation and Traceability

President & CEO, SUPIMA®

1. What differentiates SUPIMA from other cotton varieties, and why is it increasingly preferred by premium brands and manufacturers?

SUPIMA is grown exclusively in the United States — Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas — from American Pima cotton, which accounts for less than one percent of global cotton production. The fiber is distinguished by its extra-long staple length, typically in the range of 1-3/8 to over 1-1/2 inches, combined with exceptional fineness and tensile strength. That combination isn’t cosmetic. It translates directly into performance characteristics that matter to serious manufacturers: finer yarn counts spun at higher efficiency, far greater resistance to pilling and abrasion, superior color retention after repeated laundering, and a hand that improves with use rather than degrading. 

What compounds that differentiation is the SUPIMA® trademark value. We don’t just market a fiber — we govern its use. Brands and manufacturers carrying the SUPIMA® mark have earned it through a compliance framework that includes fiber verification at origin and, through our AQRe™ Project, forensic authentication and digital chain of custody that tracks every bale through the supply chain. Premium brands understand that differentiation only holds if it can be verified. That’s why we built the fiber story and the integrity infrastructure together.

2. How are quality, durability, comfort, and sustainability influencing demand for premium cotton products across global markets?

The consumer dynamic has shifted in a meaningful way. The “buy less, buy better” posture is no longer a niche positioning, it’s a mainstream purchasing framework, particularly among the demographic cohorts that luxury and premium brands are competing hardest to win. That creates a structural tailwind for what we do. A product made with SUPIMA cotton that demonstrably lasts longer, feels better over time, and can be traced back to its origin isn’t just a better product — it’s a defensible investment in a world where scrutiny of fast fashion and fiber fraud is increasing.

At the same time, sustainability in this industry has a credibility problem. There’s an enormous amount of green noise, and sophisticated buyers — retail buyers and end consumers alike — are increasingly able to distinguish supply-chain transparency from marketing language. The brands doing it well, layer independent, science-based verification over their sustainability claims. Supima builds on the farm-level foundation through the integration of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. It gives our licensees farm-level sustainability data — water, land, energy, greenhouse gas, and soil carbon — that is independently measured and verified. With AQRe™ traceability and forensic origin authentication, it extends that verified foundation all the way to the finished product. The result is a premium product story that holds up to scrutiny at every node of the supply chain. That’s where demand is heading.

3. How important is the Indian textile industry to the SUPIMA ecosystem, and what opportunities do you see for deeper collaboration with Indian manufacturers and brands?

India is critically important to us, and I think it’s often underappreciated in Western cotton conversations just how central Indian textile manufacturing is to the global premium supply chain. India’s spinning sector includes some of the most technically capable mills in the world operating at ELS and fine-count yarn specifications, exactly the capability Supima depends on. Its apparel and home-textiles export sectors operate at a scale and quality level that serves the most demanding retail partners globally, and its apparel manufacturing base is steadily moving up the value chain, both for export and for a rapidly growing domestic premium market.

From Supima’s perspective, Indian licensees aren’t just conversion partners, they’re brand amplifiers. When a premier Indian spinning mill, garment maker or home-textile manufacturer carries the SUPIMA® mark, that fiber’s story extends to every downstream customer they supply. Deepening those relationships means investing in AQRe™ onboarding within the Indian supply chain so that the traceability thread is unbroken from the farm to the finished product. Beyond manufacturing, I see real opportunity with Indian premium and luxury brands building global distribution. Consumers in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru are sophisticated, fiber-aware, and increasingly aligned with the values proposition we represent. India isn’t a secondary market for us — it’s a strategic priority.

4. How do brand partnerships help communicate the value of premium cotton to consumers while strengthening transparency and supply chain integrity?

The Supima licensing model is fundamentally a co-branding architecture. When a brand at the level of Brooks Brothers, Everlane, Sunspel, or Uniqlo builds consumer-facing communication around the SUPIMA® mark, they extend the fiber story to audiences we could never reach directly. More importantly, those brands lend credibility — their own reputation for quality becomes associated with the mark, and the mark reinforces theirs. That’s a virtuous loop that resonates and works well.

What’s changed meaningfully in the last several years is the demand for substantiation. Brand partnerships now have to carry a transparency layer, not just a logo – and that’s precisely why we built AQRe™. When a licensee can show a consumer — or an auditor, or a regulator — a verifiable digital chain of custody combined with forensic origin authentication through Oritain, the commercial conversation shifts from “trust us” to “verified.” That’s a different category of brand equity. We have more than 160 brands onboarded to AQRe™ and over 50 million pieces tracked through the platform. The brands that lean into that infrastructure are finding it becomes a differentiated commercial asset rather than a compliance burden.

5. What is your vision for the future of premium cotton, and how will innovation, sustainability, fibre quality, and consumer education shape the next phase of growth?

The convergence of regulatory pressure and consumer expectations is going to force a fundamental restructuring of how the textile industry makes and defends provenance claims. The EU Digital Product Passport will mandate traceability disclosure at a product level, and the industry has to stop looking at this as a distant horizon, it’s an imminent operating reality today. UFLPA has already demonstrated that supply chain opacity has legal and commercial ramifications. What Supima has been building with AQRe™ is not just a marketing platform; it’s infrastructure for a world where traceability is table stakes.

Within that context, I see premium natural fibers — cotton broadly, and ELS cotton specifically — in an increasingly strong position. The functional and aesthetic case for SUPIMA has always been strong. What’s changing is the ecosystem around it: the ability to forensically authenticate origin, to provide an unbroken digital chain from bale to bolt to finished garment, to integrate independent sustainability metrics at the farm level. That combination gives brand partners something genuinely defensible in a market that is running out of patience with greenwashing.

On the innovation side, I’m watching developments in fiber processing and finishing that extend the performance window of premium cotton without compromising its natural character, increasingly important as brands navigate consumer expectations around both sustainability and wearability. And I believe the premiumization of categories like home textiles and loungewear, which accelerated through the pandemic, has permanent legs. SUPIMA is well positioned across all of those vectors. The work ahead is making sure the integrity infrastructure keeps pace with commercial ambition — and that’s exactly what we’re building, together!

A Shared Vision for Cotton’s Next Chapter

While each of the three industry leaders approaches the market from a distinct perspective—global cotton trade, sustainability and traceability, and premium cotton branding—their vision converges on a common theme. The future competitiveness of cotton will be driven not only by superior fibre quality but also by verifiable sustainability, transparent supply chains, continuous innovation and stronger partnerships across the global textile ecosystem.

As regulatory requirements become more stringent and consumers increasingly demand products with credible sustainability credentials, initiatives such as the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, advanced traceability platforms and premium fibre programs like SUPIMA® are setting new benchmarks for responsible sourcing. These developments are helping transform cotton from a traditional commodity into a differentiated, value-added fibre that meets the evolving expectations of brands, retailers and consumers worldwide.

For India, this transformation presents significant opportunities. With its comprehensive textile value chain, expanding manufacturing capabilities and growing export ambitions, the country is poised to play an even more strategic role in the global cotton economy. The continued collaboration between U.S. cotton organizations and Indian textile manufacturers promises to strengthen supply chains, enhance product quality and accelerate the adoption of sustainable and traceable manufacturing practices. Together, these efforts are laying the foundation for a more resilient, transparent and future-ready global cotton industry.