Workers load cotton bales onto a truck in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 14, 2022. The cotton harvest season started in October in Xinjiang, the largest cotton-growing area in China. Photo: Xinhua

A total of six Chinese cotton manufacturers on Tuesday were awarded with the first batch of sustainable cotton production certificates by the Cotton China Sustainable Development Program (CCSD), marking a new push to phase in China's first homegrown independent certification and evaluation system to standardize cotton products in the face of industrial challenges like the COVID-19 and the Western crackdown.

The six companies are China National Cotton Group Xinjiang Cotton Ltd Co, Xinjiang Lihua Group, Hubei Yinfeng Cotton, Xinjiang Guoxin Seed Industry Co, Xinjiang Guotai Cotton Industry Co and Xinjiang Jiashenghua Cotton Industry Co.

They were presented with the certificates at a press conference themed "Sustainable Cotton - the Promise Begins in the Cotton Field" during the China International Fashion Fair 2023 in Shanghai.

The CCSD was jointly launched by the China Cotton Association (CCA) and some other industry organizations in June 2021. With the goal of "producing and promoting sustainable cotton," it holds the principles of "environmentally friendly, excellent quality, respect for labor and fully traceable," and aims to establish the brand reputation of Chinese sustainable cotton, Wang Jianhong, a vice chairman and secretary general of the CCA, said at the press conference.

Wang told the Global Times on Tuesday that to date a total of eight producers, 13 supply chain enterprises and nine brands have participated in the CCSD. The new program has commissioned relevant companies to complete online and on-site review and certification work on 1.2 million mu (80,000 hectares) of cotton fields, and 170,000 tons of cotton were identified as "sustainable under the standard."

Chinese cotton industry's effort to form its own certification standard is a response to a toughening industrial environment over recent years stemming from both external and internal challenges. 

In 2021, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a Western-led industry standard-setting body, ceased all its operations in Xinjiang amid accusations of "forced labor.” Some global clothing and sportswear companies like H&M also announced they would not use Xinjiang cotton, triggering a heated backlash from Chinese consumers.

Wang stressed that the CCSD project is aiming at helping domestic fabric and clothing companies maintain their export market share in a challenging global environment.

"Many of China's fabric and clothing companies rely heavily on overseas markets for revenue. I think it will be a pity if they lose those markets," he said.

The Global Times witnessed a dozen textile and clothing companies based in Xinjiang exhibit their products, including cotton, at Tuesday's expo.

Wang noted that the CCA has strengthened and will further enhance communication with global cotton industry bodies, including those in the US, to push for cooperative mechanisms including mutual recognition of cotton industry standards, so that the cotton trade could continue between China and overseas markets.

"Actually this is conducive to the interests of the cotton industries both in China and the US, because China's fabric and clothing supply chains are very complete and can't be replaced by other countries easily," he noted.

According to Wang, complying with China's sustainable cotton production standards would not be too difficult for most domestic cotton producers.

Apart from withstanding external pressure, industry insiders are also eyeing an improved quality of domestic cotton through the CCSD project, the Global Times learned.

"China's cotton production and consumption are ranked No.1 globally, and the quality of Xinjiang cotton is not inferior to cotton grown elsewhere. But in terms of high-quality development, Chinese cotton still has a long way to go and it is hoped that (the new program) will help boost Chinese cotton output from seeding and planting to manufacturing and production," Li Jianquan, founder of Purcotton, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Li also serves as the rotating chairman of CCSD.

In 2022, China's cotton output reached 5.98 million tons, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.