n
n
n
Still most consumed
“Cotton is not irreplaceable. It is by far the most utilized fiber by the industry, but technology has generated synthetic and com-
petitive products, frequently cheaper and better adapted to large-scale production. But it is just a question of wearing cotton cloth-
ing. Why aremothers so discerning when it comes to choosing clothes for their babies?”, asks Abrapa president Arlindo de Azevedo
Moura. Cotton allows the skin to breathe, causes no rashes, does not cause any allergy, is smooth, comfortable and durable.
Most people prefer bath towels 100-percent cotton, as they perfectly absorbwater and touch the skin smoothly. Men’s shirts are
equally almost entirely, or totallymade of cotton, for the same reason. The official stresses that there are attributes at which natural
fiber is unbeatable, but this does not mean that there is nothing to be done. “Technology, that now characterizes the production of
Brazilian cotton, also reaches the composition of threads and fabrics. Wearable technology has lots of secrets in store and an array
of research works are underway towards this end.”
T
he use of cotton in the Brazil-
ian formal market is estimated
at about 54%, associated or not
with synthetic fiber. Taking into
consideration the informal mar-
ket and the imported products, the trend is
for this percentage to drop even further. The
wave for replacing cotton in the global tex-
tile industry over the past decades is putting
theBrazilianAssociationof CottonProducers
(Abrapa) on the alert. In 2015, the company
hiredtheConsultingFirmMarkestrattocome
upwith a diagnosis of themarket and devel-
opan IncentivePlan for theUseof Cotton.
The entrepreneurial advisory council
made use of the various sources of data for
carrying out the diagnosis, including inter-
views with companies linked with the sup-
ply chain, and annual reports of associations
connected with the fashion market, like the
Brazilian Apparel and Textile Industry Asso-
ciation (Abit). The result confirmed that, like
in other countries, in Brazil cotton has lost a
hugemarket share, for different reasons. Be-
sidesthetechnicalreasons,asfarasconsum-
ers go, the reference for other fibers varies in
accordancewithspecific segments.
Women’s fashion represents the big-
gest challenge, seeing that the choice for
synthetic materials is bigger than in other
niches, especially due to their smart look
and to such characteristics as fluidity and
conformity. On the other hand, some sec-
tors still use a big percentage of cotton in
their compositions, like the manufacturers
of bed linen, tablecloth and bath linen. The
Jeans market equally detains a big portion,
withanaverageof 78%cotton in the fabrics,
and expectation for growth.
Smoothness, comfort and durability are
positive attributes that can be easily associ-
atedwith cottonandare appreciatedby the
majority of the consumers in all segments.
Considering the trend in global consump-
tion, always in search of more comfort, sus-
tainable and durable natural products, in-
cluding the fashion world, Abrapa focuses
oncottonproducts toeducateandpromote
the use of this rawmaterial. That is why the
Incentive Cotton Use Program compris-
es three strategic guidelines: promotional,
business-oriented and informational.
These criteria are, in turn, split into nine
initiatives intendedonpromoting theuseof
cotton.Inthepromotionalguideline,theac-
tivities cover social media, public relations
and publicity, whilst on the business side,
the initiatives focus on partnerships with
trademarks, fashion collections, events and
workshops, which encourage transactions
between companies of the supply chain. As
to the informational side, there is the “I’m
of Cotton” site (soudealgodao.com.br), in
sales outlets, propaganda and initiatives in
shops, retailers and universities.
On behalf
ofcotton
By virtue of the decline in
Producers(Abrapa)hiredamarketresearchcompanytocomeup
withadiagnosisofthemarketandencouragetheuseofcotton
razilian Associatio of Cotton
Sílvio Ávila
The use of cotton in the Brazilian formalmarket reaches at about 54%
56
