When it comes to considering the carbon footprint of the fashion and textiles industry, most of us tend to focus on coal-powered factories in countries like China and Vietnam and the shipping of garments halfway around the world to western stores.
Others worry about the impact of synthetic fabrics derived from fossil fuels, such as polyester, which are said to account for up to a fifth of the sector’s emissions – but we must bear in mind that so-called natural fibres, such as cotton, also contribute to climate change.
Better Cotton - formerly the Better Cotton Initiative - is drawing up its own strategy on climate change in the hope of reducing the impact of cotton which has been estimated by the Carbon Trust at 220 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
