Cotton Incorporated, the Cary, N.C.-based research and marketing company for US cotton growers and
importers, has published “A World of Ideas: Technologies for Sustainable Cotton Manufacturing,” a
guide that presents 26 technologies or processes that enable substantial reductions in the use of
water, energy and chemicals (WEC) in cotton textile processing. Available in hard copy or as a PDF
that can be downloaded at http://cottontoday.cottoninc.com/sustainability-about, the 56-page
booklet was compiled following two years of research including feedback from more than 40 companies
in China, India and Turkey that process cotton yarn, woven, knit and denim products; and have
incorporated commercial technologies proven to reduce WEC usage.
The booklet presents technologies according to five categories including processes; chemicals
and dyes; equipment; systems, control and management; and wastewater treatment.
In addition to making cotton processing more environmentally responsible, the technologies
presented can help reduce costs of operation, according to Cotton Incorporated. “The global
economic downturn is still having an effect on textile manufacturing around the world,” said Mark
Messura, the company’s executive vice president, Global Product Supply Chain. “As the booklet
illustrates, however, economic and environmental concerns are interrelated.”
November 17, 2009
