Cotton Incorporated is the research and promotion company for Upland cotton. Funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers of Upland cotton-containing products, the not-for-profit organization’s mission is to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. As a resource for the cotton industry, Cotton Incorporated conducts or oversees more than 450 research and educational projects in an average year. Research areas range from the development of agricultural and textile innovations to analyses of commodity and market data. 

For nearly three decades, the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey has measured consumer attitudes and behaviors related to the apparel and fashion industries, sustainability, home textiles, shopping and retail, fiber selection and preference, personal care items, and more.

The Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ website is an information hub for economic data, surveys and insights, news, and updates related to consumer attitudes and behaviors, as well as the global cotton supply chain.

Cotton Incorporated develops and provides thorough and objective data and information to trade and consumer media, the textile/apparel supply chain, brands, and retailers as well as curious consumers.

To learn more, visit https://lifestylemonitor.cottoninc.com/.

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Unlike synthetic, petroleum-based textiles like polyester, nylon and acrylic, which produce microplastic pollution and can take hundreds of years to decompose, cotton biodegrades quickly, something the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) points out.  It calls cotton “a natural fiber like no other,” one of the

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Denim, a New Eco-Pioneer

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Why the Seal of Cotton Can Benefit Fashion Brands

It’s been 50 years since the Seal of Cotton trademark was introduced. That’s a lot of time filled with a lot of memories, many of them made while wearing cotton apparel. And that’s something Cotton Incorporated wants to celebrate while also reminding consumers to look

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Young Shoppers Say Brands Really Need to Step Up

Amid ever more extreme weather events due to climate change, consumers are faced with how they can make a difference, especially when it comes to what they purchase — and that includes apparel. The effort, though, varies among generations, with research showing millennials and, even

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How Web3, NFTs & the Metaverse Fit in With Fashion

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Cotton Incorporated

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The Program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton.

Company History

In 1960, cotton apparel and home fabrics accounted for about 78% of all textile products sold at retail. By 1975, that share had plummeted to an all-time low of 34%, due to the successful incursion of synthetic fibers in the marketplace, threatening the extinction of cotton as a viable commercial commodity.

Reacting to the serious erosion in cotton’s consumer market share, producers in the High Plains of Texas called for a collective national marketing and research effort. With support from regional producer organizations, the cotton growers were successful in petitioning Congress into passing the Cotton Research and Promotion Act of 1966. The act established a funding mechanism, which ultimately led to the creation of Cotton Incorporated in 1970.

From the beginning, Cotton Incorporated adopted a “push/pull” marketing strategy. The objective was to “push” cotton textile innovations into the market through product and process development, while building consumer demand, or a “pull,” through advertising and promotion.

By 1983, Cotton Incorporated succeeded in curtailing share decline, and a long steady period of increasing consumer popularity and share growth resulted. Today, cotton can be found on store shelves everywhere in most product categories, and cotton share is more than 60% of the marketplace.

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