The Australian cotton industry has a cracking story to tell about its sustainability credentials, with pesticide use down by 95 per cent and water use down by 40 per cent according to Cotton Australia’s CEO Adam Kay.

Speaking at the Rural Press Club of Queensland in Brisbane today, Mr Kay said telling the story of Australian cotton to clients and customers enables the industry to take its place as a sustainable source of natural fibres – and face-down creeping competition from synthetic fibres such as polyester which is derived from petroleum.

Having begun its Best Management Practice program in 1997 along with environmental auditing, water-use efficiency measures and more recently the Better Cotton Initiative, the Australian industry is now sharing its story with global customers interested in sustainable natural fibres. View Mr Kay’s talk below.

It was great to hear Australia’s sustainable cotton story – alongside those of Tony Gleeson from the Australian Land Management Group of landholders practising certified environmental and animal welfare management and Ian McCamley an innovative, fifth-generation Central Queensland beef producer and advocate for the Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System – in an RPC session moderated by rural journalist James Nason. 

Meanwhile back at the Sew it Again ranch, we are on upcycle number 287 of 365 in a year of refashioning natural fibre clothing in a unique consumer-driven sustainability initiative that demonstrates ways individuals can revalue waste and reject clothing for a second life.

Sew 287 is another Green Heart Fair upcycle, refashioned by Lulu as part of the no-sew T-shirts Reworked activity on Sunday. Lulu selected a cotton T-shirt from the pile of cast-offs, checking it was big enough to fit over her hips and in a colour she liked. Lulu then cut a piece of elastic to fit comfortably around her waist and threaded this through the hem of the T-shirt, tying a knot to secure the ends. The top of the shirt then becomes the bottom of the skirt – cut open across the shoulders and trimmed sleeves. T-shirt fabric doesn’t fray, so there’s no need to hem it.