As the global fashion and textile sectors observe World Cotton Day on Oct. 7 under the theme “Cotton for Good: Building Prosperity Through Trade, Transformation and Partnership,” the industry stands at a critical juncture. Climate volatility, shifting regulatory pressures and economic uncertainty are rapidly transforming cotton farming from a traditional agricultural endeavor into a complex, high-stakes business challenge.

Ensuring supply chain resilience now requires more than environmental stewardship—it demands transparent partnerships that drive measurable outcomes and deliver real economic value to farming communities.

Here, Alison Ward, the CEO of the social enterprise CottonConnect, highlights how the organization is advancing sustainable agriculture at scale. From empowering female farmers and testing living wage models to replacing vague sustainability narratives with verifiable data, Ward outlines why the future of the cotton sector depends on aligning long-term environmental health with the prosperity of the people who cultivate it.

Sourcing Journal: How is climate volatility affecting cotton-growing regions and global supply chains?

Alison Ward: Climate volatility is no longer a future risk. It is already reshaping how and where cotton is grown. Across many sourcing regions, we are seeing increasingly erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, floods, extreme heat and shifting growing seasons. For farmers, that creates uncertainty around yields and input costs. For brands, it creates uncertainty around supply, prices and long-term sourcing security.

The challenge is only set to intensify. Research from the Cotton 2040 initiative found that by the 2040s, half of the world’s cotton-growing regions could face high or very high exposure to at least one climate hazard, while 75 percent could experience increased heat stress.

What’s changed is that climate resilience is no longer just an environmental issue, but also an increasing business issue. The brands that will be best positioned in the years ahead are those investing in the resilience of farming communities now, rather than responding to disruptions once they reach the supply chain. We witnessed firsthand that improving soil health, biodiversity and water management can help farmers adapt while protecting productivity and profitability.

SJ: What are some of the other challenges facing cotton farmers and producers, and how does CottonConnect help?

A.W.: Climate pressure is a major challenge, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Farmers are also navigating rising input costs, water scarcity, tightening margins, labor constraints, and growing expectations around traceability and compliance. In many regions, profitability remains one of the biggest barriers to long-term resilience. One of the biggest misconceptions is that sustainability and farmer livelihoods are separate conversations. In reality, they are deeply connected.

If sustainable practices don’t make economic sense for farmers, they won’t be adopted at scale. That’s why our approach focuses on delivering both environmental and economic outcomes. We work directly with farmers to improve yields, reduce dependence on costly synthetic inputs, strengthen climate resilience and connect producers to more responsible and transparent supply chains. Ultimately, sustainability only succeeds when farmers see real value from it.

SJ: What is CottonConnect learning from supporting farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture at scale, and why does the sector now need to focus on measurable outcomes rather than regenerative claims?

A.W.: One of our biggest learnings is that farmers are often far more willing to adopt regenerative practices than the industry assumes, provided they can see clear benefits. Across our programs, 99 percent of participating farmers have adopted regenerative practices, demonstrating that adoption at scale is entirely possible when farmers are given practical support and training.

The important question now is whether we can demonstrate regenerative agriculture’s impact credibly. As regenerative claims become increasingly common, the sector needs to move beyond broad narratives and focus on measurable outcomes, from soil health and biodiversity to water use, emissions, yields and profitability.

Regenerative agriculture has captured the industry’s attention. The challenge now is demonstrating measurable impact. The future of regenerative agriculture will be determined not by the claims we make, but by the outcomes we can prove. Farmers, brands and consumers all deserve proof that these approaches are delivering meaningful results.

SJ: What is driving the demand for greater traceability, verification and supply chain transparency?

A.W.: There are three forces driving this shift: regulation, risk and credibility.

Brands are facing increasing scrutiny over where their raw materials come from and whether they can substantiate the claims they make. At the same time, they are operating in a more complex risk environment, where climate impacts, human rights concerns, and sourcing disruptions can have significant commercial consequences.

What we are seeing is a transition from asking companies to understand their supply chains to asking them to prove what is happening within them. Regulations such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive are accelerating demand for verifiable information on environmental and human rights risks throughout global value chains.

The pressing question is whether a company can prove that their supply chain is sustainable. Traceability is becoming a fundamental business capability, helping brands manage risk, meet regulatory requirements, and build trust with stakeholders while creating greater visibility of the people behind the products we buy.

SJ: What is CottonConnect’s Living Wage pilot and how does it help growers?

A.W.: The Living Wage pilot was launched in partnership with a cotton gin in Gujarat, India, to better understand the gap between workers’ earnings and what is required for a decent standard of living. The pilot found that workers were earning around 30 to 35 percent below a living wage benchmark, highlighting a challenge that often remains hidden within supply chains.

What made the pilot particularly interesting was that we didn’t focus solely on wages. Instead, we looked at the wider factors affecting household well-being, including food security, healthcare, education and access to essential services. Through targeted interventions, we were able to reduce the living wage gap by 44 percent for daily wage workers and 47 percent for salaried employees.

The broader lesson is that improving livelihoods requires a more holistic approach. Income matters enormously, but so does access to the services and support that enable families and communities to thrive. If we want more resilient supply chains, we need to think beyond productivity and recognise that people are at the heart of long-term sustainability.

SJ: Why are women farmers critical but often overlooked leaders in climate resilience, and what has CottonConnect learned from working with women across cotton-growing communities?

A.W.: Women play an essential role in cotton production, yet they have often had less access to training, resources, finance and decision-making opportunities. That’s a missed opportunity not only for gender equity, but for climate resilience. What we’ve consistently seen is that when women have access to knowledge and support, the benefits extend far beyond the individual farmer.

New practices are more likely to be shared within households and communities, creating wider social and environmental impact. Through our programs, more than 264,000 women participated in training during 2024-25, and we’ve seen women adopt regenerative practices that reduce input costs, improve water efficiency and strengthen resilience to climate shocks.

This is being recognized more broadly across the global agricultural sector. The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, acknowledging that women are central to food security, economic resilience and climate adaptation, while continuing to face barriers in accessing land, training and financial resources.

If the sector is serious about building more resilient cotton systems, women cannot be treated as a secondary. They are already driving change on the ground. The challenge is ensuring they have the recognition, resources and opportunities to do even more.