Everything You Need To Know About Cotton Production

Cotton is the most popular fabric for garment production, with almost half of our clothes made from this material. This is the world's most valuable non-food agricultural product, and its cultivation gives work to over 250 million people, employing almost 7% of all labour in developing countries (WWF, 2024). Cotton constitutes a massive global market, with 27 million tons of this raw material produced yearly. This is equal to 27 t-shirts for every person on Earth (The World Counts, 2024). 

Despite being a tropical crop, thanks to modern technology, we can now grow cotton in several areas (Masterclass, 2021). To this day, China and India remain the world's leading exporters, contributing to approximately 45-50% of global production. These two countries are followed by the United States, which, between August 2019 and July 2020, managed to produce nearly 20 million bales of cotton for a total of $7 billion in earnings. This country is also the leading global exporter, providing 35% of the world's exports (USDA, 2022). But how many different types of cotton exist?

Different types of cotton

When it comes to cotton, the world's production is dominated by Gossypium Hirsutum, or upland cotton, accounting for up to 90% of the total. This type of cotton, with its relatively short fibres, is widely used in the fashion industry. 

Among the remaining three types, Gossypium Barbadense, or Pima cotton, constitutes a significant player in the global cotton market. This is the second most popular cotton type and is mostly used for fine clothing due to its ringling, fading, and piling resistance. 

Lastly, Gossypium Arboretum and Gossypium Herbaceum only comprised a small percentage of the global production. The former, also known as tree cotton, is originally from India and Pakistan and is used in society prizing the muslin fabric. The latter, known as Levant cotton, is native to Southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. 

How is cotton produced?

Cotton production requires different phases, which can be divided into four main processes. Soil preparation, planting, growing, and harvesting. 

Soil preparation

First and foremost, ensuring the soil is ready for cotton production is essential. Cotton is a tropical crop naturally growing where summer temperatures do not drop below 25 °C. This plant is quite resistant and can thrive without much water. However, for cotton to become a profitable yield complying with quality requirements, rainfall usually higher than 500 mm per year and well spread throughout the months is required. The soil must also be well fertilised, with cotton plants performing at their finest with sandy loam soils with good drainage. 

To prepare the soil for this crop, farmers need to aerate the seedbed and improve the saturation of irrigation. On top of this, they also need to incorporate significant quantities of plant residue into the soil to increase fertility. 

Planting 

Once the soil is ready, planting, which usually begins around April, can begin. In this period, soil temperatures reach 18,3 °C, the ideal conditions for cotton growth. Farmers plant a few seeds by placing them at a depth of 0.25 cm from the surface. Once plants start to grow, soil ridging is often recommended. This consists of covering the base of the plants to promote water conservation in dry conditions and favour drainage. On average, farmers tend to plant roughly 70,000 plants per hectare.

Growing

While plants are growing, farmers need to take care of fertilisation, weed, and pest control. Usually, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are used to enrich the soil. Pesticides to kill weeds and animals that may damage the crop are also often used. Depending on the country, genetically modified cotton resistant to harmful larvae can also be used to reduce pesticides, for instance, in South Africa. 

Harvesting

Harvesting usually occurs in autumn, six months after planting. Farmers know when to collect their cotton as bolls suddenly open. This plant can be either hand-picked or harvested mechanically. The former, however, is associated with cleaner cotton than the latter. Harvesting lasts roughly two months as not all bolls open simultaneously (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa, 2016). 

Is cotton production sustainable?

Despite being a 100% biodegradable material, cotton production remains highly unsustainable. Here are a few reasons why. 

Water consumption

Unfortunately, cotton requires plenty of water to grow. According to recent estimates, 250 billion tons of water are used yearly to produce this material. To give a better idea, one kg of cotton requires 10,000 litres of water (The World Count, 2024). This led to what the UN called one of the 'planet's worst environmental disasters.' Due to intensive cotton plantations, the Aral Sea, which once used to be the world's fourth-largest lake, has experienced a 40% reduction in size. 

Fertilisers and pesticides 

Another main reason for concern is fertilisers. With 43 million tons of pesticide-laden dust blown in the air every year, cotton production is associated with health concerns for its workers. For instance, the area surrounding the Aral Sea has the highest rates of throat cancer in the world, and this type of cancer here represents 80% of the total cases. 

Soil degradation

Lastly, cotton production is also linked to soil erosion and degradation due to the intensive usage of harmful fertilisers and pesticides. These often accumulate in bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and wetlands, drastically affecting local ecosystems (WWF, 2024).

Towards a sustainable future

As technology keeps improving, new techniques are constantly being implemented in the cotton production industry to limit the negative impact that this crop is now having on our environment. Organic cotton provides a good solution as it requires less water to grow, reduces toxic pesticides and fertilisers, and maintains soil fertility.