What are key ethical implications in
the production of cotton – particularly for the textile market?
The first ethical implication here is
environmental: Firstly, cotton is a crop requires a lot of water and is particularly
susceptible to pests. This means that the cultivation of conventional cotton
requires massive consumption of water and pesticides. In addition, since cotton
is a cash crop, there are cases where natural forests are being converted for
cotton cultivation, resulting in the loss of natural habitats. Aside from
cultivation, there is also of course all the pollution caused by the treatment
of cotton and dyeing of fabrics.
A cotton flower about to bloom (above),
before it later becomes enclosed in a firm shell after which the cotton emerges
(below).
The second is social: In some countries, cotton is such an important cash crop, that there are incidences of forced labour and child labour used in the harvesting of cotton. For example in Uzbekistan, which is amongst the top ten cotton producers in the world, schools in rural villages are routinely closed for weeks so that students and teachers can be used and forced to harvest cotton.
According
to the International Trade Centre,
80% of raw cotton materials in Vietnam are imported with over three
quarters of this coming from the United States. What are the barriers for a
country like Vietnam in producing raw cotton materials?
Cotton grows best in warm climates, so
there are no environmental reasons that prevent the cultivation of cotton in
Vietnam. Actually, cotton is grown in Vietnam, but to varying quality and only
at small levels, especially when compared to the global market.
The top cotton producing countries include
the United States, India, Pakistan and Brazil.
Then there is also China which is both the biggest producer and also
importer of cotton to sustain its massive domestic textile production. There
are many countries who are small players in the cotton production, but the
reasons behind the ascent of the big global players are partly political and
partly historical. The production of textile in India and Pakistan, for
example, are closely tied to colonisation in the 18th century by the
British, who dominated the textile market at the time. The historical origins
of cotton production in the south of the United States are of course closely
linked to slavery, which provided the original man-power for such countries to
expand the size of their cotton industries to the size they are today.
For countries to become a big player in
cotton there needs to be also significant and targeted government support, for
example, by pouring resources into agronomic research and in some instances providing
subsidies. Instead of focusing on cotton, Vietnam has prioritised the
production of other cash crops like coffee which grow in a similar climate.
How
does the raw cotton materials normally arrive in Vietnam and what happens to
the cotton after its arrival?
To answer this question, we need to
understand first the different steps involved in the supply chain which
transforms cotton into fabric.
1. Cultivation
and Harvesting: cotton is grown on a farm and
harvested once a year.
Getting ready for harvest in India
2.
Ginning: where cotton seeds are separated from the
lint and the lint is used to form cotton bales. This will often take place near
the cotton farm, where one ginnery usually processes the raw cotton from the
surrounding farms into bales.
Ginning
in India (above) and ginning in the United States (below).
3.
Spinning: where cotton from different bales are
spun together to make different varieties and quality of yarn.
Spinning
factory in India (above and below)
4.
Weaving: where the yarn is weaved together to make
fabric
Weaving
in Turkey
5.
Finishing: where the fabric is finished into cloth.
There are a few important points to keep in
mind here. Due to the very different techniques, skills and equipment needed in
each step, the process is usually broken up. Secondly, because cotton is not
necessarily spun and woven in the same countries where it is cultivated and
ginned, international traders play a
significant role in moving mass quantities of cotton, often between different
continents.
Raw cotton materials will normally arrive
in Vietnam between step two and three – between ginning and spinning. So
Vietnam will commonly receive bales of cotton lint, which will then be spun and
weaved into cloth inside the country.
So
in Senegal the cotton situation is almost the inverse to Vietnam. Although
Senegal is not a major player on the global scale, cotton is Senegal’s second
largest export. In Senegal’s case, steps
1 and 2 will take place in the country, after which the cotton bales will often
be exported for spinning, weaving and finishing overseas.
Cotton forms the basis of so many
different types of fabric such as denim and corduroy and a common fabric used
in Vietnam called lanh. What is done to cotton produce these different
variations of fabric?
Differences in the end fabrics are partly influenced by two things
- Firstly, the breed/type of cotton used – which can differ in the length and strength of lint and even colour
- Secondly, the different yarn produced as a result of different methods of spinning.
Thanks
so much Isabelle for sharing all this information. In our next blogpost, we
will talk more with Isabelle about the sustainable and ethical options for
cotton production.
All
photos are kindly thanks to Isabelle.
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