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Message from the President & CEO

Cultivating Change: Sustaining the Global Cotton Supply Chain

A Message from J. Berrye Worsham, President & CEO of Cotton Incorporated

The cotton industry envisions a future where environmentally sustainable production and manufacturing will thrive along with the businesses that depend on cotton as a source of income.

Our vision is for diverse and practical products made from the entire cotton plant that will extend the use of cotton beyond a textile fiber to clothe a growing population. This amazing plant will also be providing materials that will feed and shelter people.

Employing biotechnology to its fullest extent, now and far into the future, we anticipate dramatically increasing our yields of cotton fiber and using cottonseed as a food source for humans. We fully expect that this expanded use of the cotton plant will require less water and soil greatly reducing strain on the environment.

Technology will be the tool that builds cotton’s sustainable future, and environmental sustainability will remain the guiding principle of our industry. With the powerful tools of technology in hand, we will ensure the continued viability of cotton and the well being of the planet and its inhabitants.

The U.S. cotton industry sees its role as a catalyst for change that will inspire ingenuity and improvement along the entire global chain. By 2050, we foresee the businesses that buy and sell cotton working hand in hand with conservation organizations to implement sustainable gains that can be readily verified by impartial measurement. Partnerships and the sharing of best practices will be critical elements for realizing our vision for the long-term sustainability of the cotton industry.

I invite you to study the information collected here, to see for yourself the environmental gains made and being made in the cotton industry. If you have questions, by all means, please take advantage of the section of this Web site, called, “Ask the Sustainability Desk.” There you’ll get quick answers directly from our experts about cotton sustainability.

Sincerely,
J. Berrye Worsham
President and CEO
Cotton Incorporated