The biggest issue facing the cotton industry isn't fast fashion or water consumption. It's that the people growing cotton have been rendered invisible. The industry fixates on fiber quality and commodity pricing while the farmers themselves– and their role in determining sustainability outcomes– get lost.

Marzia Lanfranchi, founder of the global community Cotton Diaries, is a strategic consultant working to improve supply chain sustainability in the cotton industry. She argues that cotton is viewed first and foremost as ‘a cheap fiber,’ instead of a commodity that is grown in the field. 

She has seen that when cotton is treated purely as "a cheap fiber" rather than an agricultural product shaped by farming practices, the entire system suffers, including the sustainability frameworks fashion brands are trying to build.

In this episode, we discuss why putting farmers at the center changes everything.

Sarah and Marzia discuss:

• What fashion brands miss or overlook about regenerative agriculture
• Why cotton is often perceived as a ‘water thirsty crop’ (and why that is not always the case)
• How stories are useful ‘tools’ to help people visualize solutions to problems
• How traceability can be built into supply chains to help fashion brands improve sustainability

Useful Links:

• Cotton Diaries “Manifesto”
• Veja
• Landfill to Farmfill: rethinking cotton waste (podcast)
• Promises of premiums won’t cut it to scale sustainable agrifood supply chains

For more information and resources, visit our website. 

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