Statement Regarding United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Ruling
Recently, the Advertising Standards Association in the United Kingdom called for the ban of Cotton USA advertisement that claimed cotton was “soft, sensual and sustainable.” At issue to the governing body was the use of the word “sustainable.” Citing that there was no “universally accepted definition for sustainability,” the ASA concluded the claim was misleading. To clarify the ASA’s ruling, the question was not whether U.S. cotton is sustainable, but what the word sustainable means. We at Cotton Incorporated support the claims made by Cotton Council International advertising, which echo the message in our own consumer and trade communications.
Current Cotton Incorporated advertisements celebrate the environmental gains made by modern cotton farming using the widely understood terms natural, renewable, and responsible. These words speak to cotton’s origins and to its evolution as an increasingly environmentally-friendly crop.
Natural There can be no denying that cotton is a natural fiber, and one offering a natural alternative to chemical-based fibers.
Renewable
The cotton plant is a renewable resource. It produces fiber for textile manufacturing and a sufficient quantity of seeds to not only replant the crop the next season, but also for use in livestock feeds and the production of cottonseed oil for food manufacturing. Cotton production also contributes to the protection and renewal of the soil. The increasing use of conservation tillage over the past 15 years has significantly reduced topsoil erosion that was historically commonplace in cotton farming. In addition, tillage reduction contributes to the natural, ongoing enrichment of the soil in which cotton is grown.
Responsible
Cotton producers in the United States have made tremendous strides in reducing their reliance on pesticides (down 50%) and irrigated water (down 45%), and have increased their production volumes without increasing land use. As good stewards of the land that they farm and live on, these men and women are constantly striving to further reduce cotton’s environmental impact. A significant part of Cotton Incorporated’s research role is to help producers do just that.
We at Cotton Incorporated are confident in the claims made by both Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated advertisements. At some point in the future, when a universally-accepted definition of sustainability is agreed upon, we have no doubt that the natural, renewable and responsible aspects of modern cotton production will validate it as a sustainable crop.
More information on the significant environmental gains made by U.S. cotton is available on this web site.
