Just as the old adage declares that U.S. farmers feed the world, a strong case can be made that they help clothe it, too. As one of the top cotton-producing nations globally, the United States occupies a critical position in the international agricultural and textile supply chains. Furthermore, American growers lead the world in responsible agriculture and land stewardship, setting benchmarks for natural fiber production.
Today, as the global apparel industry grapples with chronic overproduction, textile waste, and mounting pollution, makers of everything from sportswear, activewear, and denim to everyday T-shirts and athleisure apparel are increasingly urged to consider the eco-conscious and sustainable option that U.S. cotton presents.
Jesse Daystar, Ph.D., vice president and chief sustainability officer at Cotton Incorporated, detailed the measurable progress achieved by U.S. cotton growers over recent decades, highlighting a trajectory defined by innovation and environmental stewardship.
“Over the past four decades, U.S. cotton has reduced soil loss by 45 percent, improved irrigation water-use efficiency by 58 percent, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent and improved land-use efficiency by 30 percent,” Daystar told the Lifestyle Monitor®, citing comprehensive data from Cotton Incorporated’s 2023 National Resource Survey. “That progress is tied to better practices and better tools. More growers are using cover crops, reduced tillage, no-till or strip-till, precision agriculture, irrigation scheduling, flow meters and soil moisture monitoring.”
To quantify these environmental impacts, Cotton Incorporated commissioned WSP USA Inc. to conduct the most comprehensive, data-driven life cycle assessment (LCA) of U.S. cotton fiber production to date. The study revealed that cotton’s natural fiber composition creates biogenic carbon dioxide storage—a fundamental distinction that separates it from petroleum-based synthetic fibers.
When temporary biogenic carbon dioxide flows are fully accounted for, cotton production achieves a net negative cradle-to-gate—or field-to-gin—emission rate of -0.264 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of U.S. cotton fiber. Additionally, the LCA identified distinct opportunities to enhance cotton circularity and further improve the permanence of this carbon storage, solidifying U.S. cotton as a credible, science-backed natural fiber choice for brands, retailers, and consumers alike.
The fashion industry operates against a backdrop of shifting consumer sentiment regarding environmental impact. According to the 2025 Global Lifestyle Monitor Survey—conducted by Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated and encompassing 13,026 respondents worldwide—three out of four consumers, or 75 percent, express a distinct interest in sustainable clothing, viewing it as either essential at 21 percent or nice to have at 54 percent.
The survey further highlights a significant trust gap between natural and manmade materials. Fully 83 percent of respondents consider cotton and other natural fibers to be safe for the environment. Conversely, fewer than half believe that manmade fibers are environmentally safe, with rayon at 48 percent, polyester at 46 percent, and Tencel at 41 percent registering lower marks.
This consumer inclination is mirrored on the farm. Daystar noted that the 2023 Natural Resource Survey demonstrates a continued and accelerated adoption of conservation practices across agricultural operations. The use of cover crops, for instance, surged from 20 percent of respondents in 2015 to 48 percent in 2023. Similarly, the utilization of no-till and strip-till methods increased between 2008 and 2023, while conventional tillage practices experienced a steady decline.
All of this concentrated effort by farmers to improve on-farm sustainability resonates strongly at the retail level. Brands and manufacturers should take note that fully 75 percent of shoppers explicitly prefer apparel made of cotton, cotton blends, or denim. These three categories are overwhelmingly preferred over manmade alternatives such as polyester, which captured just 7 percent of preference, spandex at 5 percent, and rayon at 4 percent.
Despite clear consumer preferences for natural materials, apparel brands frequently cite the lower upfront cost of polyester as a primary driver for its widespread adoption. At the same time, the broader fashion industry remains culpable for extraordinary levels of textile waste stemming from overproduction and unsold garments. Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency indicates that in America alone, an alarming 85 percent of all textiles end up in landfills on a yearly basis.
When viewed alongside the macro-level reality that nearly 70 percent of the world’s textile fibers are now synthetic—predominantly petroleum-based polyester—the ecological challenge becomes stark. Whether through everyday wear or routine laundering, all garments shed tiny microfibers. However, the fibers released from petroleum-based fabrics are categorized as microplastics. These synthetic materials can take hundreds of years to degrade, shedding microplastics into the air, water, and soil, thereby exacerbating the global crisis of microplastic pollution.
“There’s a gap between how the fashion industry talks about responsible, regenerative agriculture and what’s actually been happening on U.S. cotton farms for years,” said Liz Hershfield, executive director of Cotton USA™ and co-director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, in an interview with the Lifestyle Monitor®. Responsible cotton stewardship is something that growers have built their businesses around, because without it, there simply is no business.
Hershfield emphasized that cotton growers were among the early adopters of advanced precision agriculture tools. Today, operations routinely incorporate satellite imagery, drone technology, and artificial intelligence-driven agronomic management systems that help producers optimize their crop yields while simultaneously minimizing their environmental footprint.
Adding urgency to these operational shifts is compelling market research regarding consumer purchasing behavior. Around the world, a majority of consumers, standing at 59 percent, report that they are willing to pay more for clothing crafted from natural fibers like cotton, according to the 2025 Global Lifestyle Monitor research. That willingness climbs even higher in key international markets, reaching 85 percent in India and 66 percent in Mexico. When asked to articulate their preferences, consumers consistently rank cotton-based apparel as the most comfortable at 67 percent, the softest at 66 percent, the best quality at 59 percent, the most sustainable at 49 percent, and the longest-lasting at 44 percent.
“Apparel brands should care because the sustainability story of a garment starts with the fiber,” Daystar said. “U.S. cotton gives brands a natural, trusted and data-backed fiber with a real story of continuous improvement from the farm forward.”
Hershfield cautioned that brands often fail to realize what is truly at stake when they bypass natural fibers in favor of fossil fuel-based synthetics.
There are more than 15,000 cotton farms operating across 17 states in the U.S., and 98 percent of them are family-owned and operated. The futures of these multigenerational operations are shaped, in part, by the sourcing decisions made by major fashion brands, according to Hershfield.
Growers have been forced to absorb difficult macroeconomic and agricultural market conditions for several years. The intricate infrastructure built over generations can quickly erode when sustained market demand is not present to support it—a vulnerability over which apparel brands hold significantly more influence than they frequently realize.
