Australian cotton industry focus on continual improvement of environmental production and safety measures is the basis of a great Sue Neales yarn For cotton, the big noise is about sustainability in The Australian this weekend.
Sue quotes cotton grower Simon Corish from Goondiwindi saying “consumers worldwide now want to know that the cotton they wear and use has been grown by farmers who do things environmentally well, and the big retailers are responding to that and saying they will only source in the future cotton that has been sustainably produced”.
The Australian industry has made great strides in reducing water use by 40 per cent and chemical use by 95 per cent in recent years – as discussed in an earlier Sew it Again post – and Sue’s story reports industry has now signed on for a five-year improved sustainability plan. “It requires Australia’s cotton growers to track their own – as well as the industry’s – ongoing performance against 45 key criteria linked to water efficiency, reduced chemical use, carbon footprint, biodiversity, farm productivity and work-related safety.”
Natural fibres make up one-third of the world’s apparel fibre consumption (graph pg 2) with the 20+ million tonnes of cotton consumed globally in 2010 making it the stand-out natural fibre in terms of volume. As the world’s third-largest exporter of cotton, Australian growers are key suppliers in the market so it makes good economic sense that they are ready and able to demonstrate their sustainability credentials.
At an individual level, another way to ensure one is wearing sustainable, ethical cotton is to source and enjoy re-loved garments which values the durability, longevity and sustainability of this leading natural fibre.
We’re now up to Sew 334 of the 365-day #sewitagain project which is demonstrating ways to upcycle natural fibre garments for a second chance at life, joining other clothing reuse campaigns such as #getredressed in Hong Kong and #secondhandfirst in the United Kingdom.
Sew 334 was upcycled by my rural leadership friend Georgie Somerset, who is now busier than ever as newly appointed vice-president of Queensland broadacre farm group AgForce while juggling life as a beef producer at Durong and various board roles.
Despite being busy, Georgie is one of those people who values quality natural fibres and believes in mending (I’ve eye-balled her mending pile!) and upcycling. She wore a well-loved silk dress (which appeared as Sew 297) to Sydney Town Hall after being named one of the 100 Women of Influence awards run by The Australian Financial Review and Westpac.
Here’s another upcycle Georgie whipped up in the Textile Beat studio earlier in the month, photos below, when she turned a pair of pink cotton cast-off trousers (thanks Lynn) into cool summer shorts, by simply cutting to her preferred length, fringeing the hem, turning up and securing the sideseams by hand-stitching, and modelled above with a navy cotton top she already owned. Way to go Georgie – it has been great crossing paths so many times this year – see photos below, clockwise from left, RIRDC dinner in Canberra, Keelen Mailman’s The Power of Bones book launch at Mt Tabor, at Sydney Town Hall, and years earlier in the Kimberley during the Australian Rural Leadership Program.
