ICA Preview: What Sustainability Means to a Merchant

By Jim.Robinson|October 5, 2011

1. Please provide a brief description of your presentation and what information it will contain.
The presentation theme is sustainability in the cotton supply chain, from the merchant’s point of view. Sustainability has various aspects:

First, we want cotton to be produced in a sustainable way, in terms of land and water use, so these resources are preserved, and in the long run, we are still in business.
Second, we want to see the correct use of agrochemicals and labor, so that cotton is perceived as being produced in a politically correct way that does not upset or drive away consumers.
Finally, we want to see contract sanctity prevailing along the supply chain, because we see this as the cornerstone for a healthy and sustainable supply chain over the long run.

2. How does your presentation fit into this year’s ICA theme of “Moving Forward”?
Sustainability of the supply chain is an essential ingredient for a successful and long-lasting move forward. ICA’s mission is promoting good trade practices and providing for a contract dispute resolution process when these practices are not employed. However, we would much prefer to see responsible contracting and no defaults as a way of moving forward in the development of a healthy cotton business. We would be very happy to see the underutilization of the arbitration process and a declining list of defaulters on the ICA Unfulfilled Awards list.

3. Looking forward to the coming year, what do you think the top trends in cotton and textiles will be?
Cotton should be in plentiful supply and should regain part of the market share it lost over recent months. Cotton needs to fight with synthetics for market share and one of the ways forward is active wear made from cotton. In the past, cotton was a favorite material for sports clothing, and synthetics have stolen most of this market. Cotton will look to make a comeback in this area.