About Topics Events Resources News Search Sign Up Log In Circularity of Cotton TopicsSustainabilityCotton Sustainability Cotton—Naturally Circular. Cotton can be reused, recycled**, and returned∞ to the earth. Explore these three intersecting paths of cotton’s circular lifecycle and start envisioning your opportunities. Circular Lifecycle of Cotton Choose a product pathway to explore the many ways you can close the loop with cotton. Textile to Textile Textile to Nonwoven Textile to Engineered Material Nonwoven Grown from Earth Cotton is a natural fiber – grown from sunlight, water and earth – that stores carbon dioxide the plant has absorbed from the atmosphere. *Through the open exchange of best practices and extensive research, cotton producers continuously improve their stewardship of the land and natural resources. The U.S. cotton industry has set meaningful 10-year goals to guide scientiﬁcally sound, national-scale improvement over time. Learn more about industry goals for sustainable cotton production. *Cotton Incorporated (2017). LCA update of cotton fiber and fabric life cycle inventory. http://resource.cottoninc.com/LCA/2016-LCA-Full-Report-Update.pdf https://vimeo.com/488666179 Download the Brochure COTTON’S CIRCULAR LIFECYCLE Grow your opportunities to advance the circular economy. You know cotton as comfortable, durable, and incredibly versatile—a natural fiber you can use in products as wide-ranging as shirts, sheets, wet wipes, and 3D printed buttons. Cotton can also be reused, recycled**, and returned∞ to the earth. So whatever product you make, there’s a circular path ahead when you make it with cotton. Download our Cotton’s Circular Lifecycle brochure. Download Brochure ** Cotton products are recyclable only in a few communities that have appropriate recycling facilities. ∞ In composting tests, cotton fabric samples underwent a weight loss of approximately 50-77% after 90 days in a composting facility. Li, Lili; Frey, Margaret; Browning, Kristie (2010). Biodegradability study on cotton and polyester fabrics. Journal of Engineered Fiber and Fabrics, 5(4), 42-53. * Cotton Incorporated (2017). LCA Update of cotton fiber and fabric life cycle inventory † Research conducted with North Carolina State University (2018) ± Blue Jeans Go Green™ (2020) RECOMMENDED READING Biodegradability of Cotton Cotton Sustainability Basics Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton © 2021 Cotton Incorporated AMERICA’S COTTON PRODUCERS AND IMPORTERS. Service Marks / Trademarks Of Cotton Incorporated. FAQS ABOUT US TERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY CONTACT COTTON INCORPORATED COTTON UNIVERSITY™ PROGRAM ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT PRIVACY SETTINGS