More than 200 brands, retailers, NGO’s and others from across the supply chain joined Cotton Australia at the 2025 Australian Cotton Forum in Sydney - a fantastic day of open dialogue, new ideas, and opportunities to engage with experts.
Hosted by Cotton Australia, the Forum offered a behind-the-scenes look at the progress and priorities of the Australian cotton industry. The program featured sessions on intergenerational family farming, traceability, innovation, circularity and sustainability.
Water efficiency was a key area of discussion with National Irrigators’ Council CEO Zara Lowien leading an interactive session looking at Australia’s ‘Water Allocation Puzzle’ before taking part in an ‘ask me anything’ style panel alongside Dr Janelle Montgomery, (Cotton Info Program Manager, CRDC) promising to answer attendees burning questions about water usage in the industry.
“It’s a hard topic, as we all know,” Ms Lowien said. “But [the industry’s water allocation is] a big misconception that we have to constantly work to break down.”
There was also strong interest in the research into biodiversity being carried out by The University of Sydney’s faculty and students.
“I didn’t expect that level of interest from the crowd – there were a lot of questions on it,” said Associate Professor Guy Roth, who shared the in-field research carried out at the university’s myBMP certified Narrabri farm.
“I can sense that everyone in the room knows it’s important, but the real challenge is how to measure it, monitor it and report it because biodiversity is very.. diverse.”
With many of the country's leading brands in attendance, the appetite for innovation was clear. Kmart’s Head of Sustainability Blake Lindley reflected on the industry’s progress:
“What an exciting time to be here, right? There’s AI, there’s robots, big data, traceability. It’s just remarkable to see what’s being done in the industry.” Mr Lindley said.
For the Cotton to Market team, the real highlight was the level of participation.
“It was an amazing day – huge interaction and interactivity from our audience, great questions, really focusing on some of those topics that our brands care about,” Cotton to Market lead Brooke Summers said.
This year’s Forum highlighted the vital role brands play in shaping the future of fibre through ongoing education. As sourcing standards evolve, Australian cotton offers a story of continuous innovation - grounded in science, supported by data, and driven by a respect for both land and grower.
A sincere thank you to our sponsors Commonwealth Bank and Loftex for helping to facilitate the event.
July 2025