...
Watch a Video – Springbok Flats dryland cotton from the air January 2017
...
Watch a Video – Springbok Flats irrigated cotton from the air January 2017
...
Watch a Video – Cotton planting time on the Springbok Flats – 2 December 2016
...
Watch our latest video with regards to the Sustainable Cotton Cluster on Facebook
Watch the video ...
Evaluation of the effect of a particular planting date on production, fibre quality and colour of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars produced in South Africa
The cotton planting window for sowing becomes very narrow for optimal yield and fibre qualities. Finding the most suitable cultivar for a particular planting date can help to widen the window period for sowing. Obtaining a vigorous stand is the first step for profitable cotton production. Soil temperature is one of the most important factors in determining the time of planting cotton. Cotton should not be planted before the top 30 mm of soil not maintained a temperature of 16 to 18°C or higher. The results of the 2013/14 evaluation of cultivars that are most suitable for a particular planting date are presented in this report. ...
Cotton is a natural renewable resource
Cotton is a part of our daily lives and has hundreds of uses, from blue jeans to soap. All parts of the cotton plant are useful, the most important being the fibre or lint, which is used to make yarn for cotton cloth. The linters (the short fuzz on the seed) provide amongst others cellulose for making plastics, explosives and other products whilst the cottonseed itself is crushed into three separate products namely oil, meal and hulls. The oil is used primarily for shortening, cooking oil and salad dressing whilst the meal and hulls that remain are mainly used either separately or in combination as livestock, poultry and fish feed and as fertilizer. ...
A true renewable source of fibre
Cotton has been used as a fibre for more than 7000 years! Unlike fossil based fibres, cotton is sustainable, renewable, biodegradable, and carbon neutral and can be used without depleting or damaging the environment, thus making it an excellent choice as an environmentally-friendly fibre throughout its entire product life cycle. New technology, such as insect-resistant and drought-resistant varieties, continues to reduce the need for pesticides and water. These same varieties will improve yields, allowing for more cotton to be grown on the same amount of land. ...
A Sustainable Cotton Industry
To advance South Africa to an environmentally responsible future, the cotton industry is continuing with the development and implementation of new technologies and methods of cotton production and manufacturing, and developing new uses for the cotton plant that will result in meeting consumer needs and to balance productivity and profit, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ...
Cotton South Africa
Cotton South Africa is a non-profit organisation that brings together both private and public sector organisations involved in the entire cotton industry value chain, including producers, organised labour, consumer organisations and service providers, to stabilise employment and improve overall competitiveness in the cotton industry. We promote a Southern African regional value chain which will result in capacity that is more resilient and more robust. ...
Let’s learn some cotton lingo
What is the difference between sustainable, traceable and organic cotton? Or is it all the same? Read further and find out. Sustainability is defined “as finding the balance between profitability, protecting the environment and being socially responsible”. According to the United Nations, sustainability in the cotton industry means the ability to produce cotton today without reducing the ability of future generations to do the same. Traceable cotton is tracked in a traceability system from the farm to the shelf. Such as system follows specific rules that define the data that must be gathered and stored at each stage of the supply chain. The purpose of traceability is to: • Improve the integrity of the supply chain by substantiating label claims. • Trace materials back to their origin. • Support effective audits by having complete records at hand. • Respond quickly and effectively to crisis ...
Cotton’s place in the national picture
The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) is one of the founding partners of the Sustainable Cotton Cluster. Elaine Smith, Director: Clothing and Textiles, explains government’s involvement and reveals why she is excited about cotton. 1. Why did the dti become involved in the Sustainable Cotton Cluster? The dti has a competitiveness improvement programme (CIP) that provides funding for a group of companies to work together as a cluster or supply chain to improve their competitiveness. Cotton SA made use of this opportunity and applied to the dti with a well-researched and developed business plan to revive the cotton industry in South Africa and make it a viable fibre to source locally. 2. What does the dti’s involvement in the cluster entail? The department funds the cluster project for five years. Over this period, our contribution decreases while the cluster ...
Cotton is making a comeback
Hennie Bruwer, CEO of Cotton SA, is optimistic about the future of cotton. Not only has production doubled between the 2014 and 2015 season – from 42 000 to 97 000 bales – but the year-old industry initiative, the Sustainable Cotton Cluster, is already making a positive impact. Cotton SA was the driving force behind the Sustainable Cotton Cluster, but the initiative now involves 5 value chain stakeholders, including the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti). “Our aim is to create an enabling environment for cotton producers and manufacturers to supply local and international customers with fully traceable and sustainable cotton products,” says Hennie. A recent study has shown that the demand is there; the task at hand is to increase the volumes that are being produced. To this end, one of the cluster’s objectives is to increase local production by 388%. Another primary objective is to build 15 ...
Better cotton is good for everyone
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is an international programme that wants to establish a balance between the economic, environmental and social aspects of growing cotton. The end result is a profitable, responsible and sustainable management approach. The programme aims its efforts at four specific goals: 1. Reduce the environmental impact of cotton production. 2. Improve livelihoods and economic development in cotton producing areas. 3. Improve commitment to and flow of Better Cotton throughout the supply chain. 4. Ensure the credibility and sustainability of the Better Cotton Initiative. The Sustainable Cotton Cluster is currently implementing a programme the obtain BCI certification for South African cotton. Adherence to the BCI principles of continuous improvement on the farm will demand that local cotton producers: • Minimise the potential negative impacts of crop protection ...
The technology that unites the cluster
Technology has long been used to keep track of products in a supply chain. While consumers only see a barcode, it’s the intelligence behind those black lines or square blocks and numbers that really count. Hennie Ras, the Cotton Cluster domain expert on traceability, says that supply chain systems vary from the simple, retail barcode version on one hand, to the highly sophisticated systems first developed by the US Army and NATO on the other. In the middle are masses of systems that can track products within companies and a few that can track within specific supply chains. The fresh fruit industry, for instance, is a good example of where a specific commodity is traceable. “Our challenge, however, was different,” says Hennie. “To support the Sustainable Cotton Cluster we had to integrate a chain that deals in different commodities – from seed cotton, to lint, to yarn, to material and to finished ...
Supplier focus: IQ Logistica
IQL is a professional services organisation that supplies the Cluster’s technology component and the support services needed to integrate the supply chain. IQL’s involvement started with the work it did for Cotton SA in terms of its strategy and business model. In the context of the Cluster, however, Cotton SA’s role will become much bigger. Traditionally it looked at production, consumption, trade and stocks – namely the farmers, ginners and spinners. In future it will consider the complete supply chain, from the farmers to the retailers. Hennie Ras, (Director Operations visibility solutions for IQ Logistica), says that cotton is the forerunner in the initiative to make the local textile industry sustainable and competitive. “Cotton cannot represent all the other industries, such as wool and mohair, but we have to work closely together so that the learning that has taken place in the Sustainable ...
The answer to rural job creation
Joseph Kempen, CEO of Loskop Gin, says that cotton should be the Marblehall area's logo. "We have massive unemployment here, but also beautiful cotton soils and access to water. Cotton can play a huge role in job creation." And this, he adds, is one of the main reasons why he and Loskop Gin got involved in the Sustainable Cotton Cluster. In the Marble Hall area, unemployment stands at more than 50% and cotton is the solution, Joseph believes. "With the necessary support, we can create 2 000 jobs in six months if we plant now. Because cotton is not a crop that farmers consume themselves but have to sell, it gives them money in their pockets to invest. In this way farmers can start moving up the value chain and away from subsistence. It isn't a quick solution, but it is a sustainable one." A successful cotton value chain, however, depends on access to a gin, which is where the crop's value is unlocked. ...
A vision for the future
In the 2014/2015 season, the cotton grown in a partnership between small holder farmers along the Olifants River and an established commercial farmer was the best to be processed at Loskop Gin from all points of view. The cotton was clean, of superior quality and the 80 hectares that were planted had yielded a remarkable 405 000kg. "This partnership is in effect our farmer of the year," says Joseph Kempen, CEO of Loskop Gin. Jannie Terblanche, the commercial farmer who initiated the scheme, did not set out to grow superior cotton; his vision was to change the future. "My work with emerging farmers is because of what my head told me to do," he says. "I want my children to have a future in South Africa and I can do that by creating jobs to help break the cycle of poverty around us." Being an experienced cotton farmer, Jannie knew that the 80km between Marble Hall and Zebediela next to the river was ...
The spin-off is what counts
Prilla Mills in Pietermaritzburg is one of the largest of southern Africa’s eight cotton spinning mills – four in South Africa and one each in Swaziland, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. But size was not what convinced Enrique Crouse, Managing Director of Prilla, to join the Sustainable Cotton Cluster initiative as a member. The big picture did. “I take note of what happens in the world,” says Enrique. “I attend an international conference every year and sit on the international spinners committee. So I have seen the trend of sourcing in close proximity to the market gain momentum. The concepts of ‘near-sourcing’ and ‘quick response’ have shaped our industry globally, and is an influence South Africa cannot escape.” For Enrique, the Sustainable Cotton Cluster presented the opportunity to help South Africa respond to these influences. “It was strategically important for us to get onto the bus right ...
The PPPFA – a critical enabler
The procurement power of government can be a potent force for change. Beni Letebele, the Sustainable Cotton Cluster’s programme manager, explains why the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) is good news for cotton. What is the PPPFA and what is it meant to achieve? The PPPFA is the law that directs procurement by all state entities. Its aim is to use state procurement as a tool to address past inequalities, by basing buying decisions on more than competitive pricing alone. The PPPFA allocates preferential points to procurement from persons or groups that were prejudiced by unfair discrimination, and therefore uses the economic muscle of the state to help build an equitable society. Why is the PPPFA relevant to the aims of the Sustainable Cotton Cluster? Under the PPPFA, textiles are a 100% designated category, which means that all textile products ...
The many, many uses of cotton
In February, Valentine’s Day is a reminder that love is all around us. The same can be said of cotton – every day of the year. We all know that there’s cotton in the clothes we wear and the towels we use. But did you know that there was cotton in your computer, your car tyres and, quite possibly, the dressing on your salad? According to the National Cotton Council of America, the world uses more cotton today than any other fibre, and all parts of the cotton plant are useful. FBIRE/LINT • Textiles and yarns for clothing, towels, bedding and other household items. • Cordage (cords and ropes) • Cord for car tyres • Plastic reinforcing • Stuffing inside pill bottles SEED Linters – the short fuzz on the seed – provide cellulose that is used in: • Plastics • Explosives • High quality paper products • Batting for padding mattresses, furniture and automobile cushions • Computer chip boards ...
Mr Price partakes in Profit, People and Planet
Mr Price Group – one of South Africa’s best known clothing and homeware retailers – was a founding partner of the Sustainable Cotton Cluster. There from the start, the Group is already enjoying the benefits of participation. Retailers are the cornerstone of the Sustainable Cotton Cluster’s integrated supply chain programme (ISCP). Without their participation there are no orders on which to base production and manufacturing planning. Retail demand drives the ISCP and enables it to build virtual partnerships between supply chain stakeholders. Retail satisfaction ensures the ISCP’s growth and increasing success. Establishing the ISCP was a challenge but Mr Price Group’s experience confirms that it was the right thing to do. “For Mr Price Group, our partnership with the Cluster has already resulted in cotton price stability, improved margin opportunities through waste elimination, visibility and data ...
The results are in – Fuel from cottonseed is feasible
The Sustainable Cotton Cluster is an initiative of Cotton SA, Government and like-minded cotton industry value chain stakeholders. It creates an enabling environment for cotton producers and manufacturers to supply local and international customers with fully traceable and sustainable cotton products. One of its aims is to promote research and development in the cotton industry.
Over the past year or so, researchers at the Northwest University (NWU) in Potchefstroom have been doing pioneering research funded by the Sustainable Cotton Cluster. Their work is part of the Cluster’s research and development mandate to develop cotton by-products that will increase the industry’s overall sustainability. Currently, no beneficiation of cottonseed oil and/or bio paraffin manufacturing is being done in South Africa.
Prof Sanette Marx and her team were contracted to ...
Towards a Sustainable Cotton Industry
Cotton SA is leading the drive to secure a sustainable and prosperous future for the cotton industry in South Africa. We provide a forum and services to promote and develop the entire cotton value chain. ...
Cotton vs Synthetic
TEMPERATURE Although cotton of origin is a tropical or sub-tropical plant, the majority of cotton is produced outside the tropics. The temperature factor is therefore of vital importance when considering areas suitable for economical cotton production. Yield and fibre quality are to a great extent determined by air temperature during the growing season. With a normal growing period of 200 days, the cotton plant requires a relatively high temperature over a long growing season. Temperatures under 20°C have a slowing down effect on the growth of the plant, especially during the flowering and boll phases. In practice, low temperatures just after planting time, when germination occurs, as well as low night temperatures during any stage of growing can be potentially harmful to the plant. To ensure good germination, the soil temperature in the seedbed should at least be 18°C. In South Africa ...
