The Australian cotton industry has again demonstrated its commitment to transparency and sustainability, welcoming questions and scrutiny from brands, retailers, and supply chain partners at the 2025 Australian Cotton Forum.

Held in Sydney, the forum organised by Cotton Australia’s Cotton to Market team, attracted more than 200 attendees, all keen to understand where the industry stands today and what lies ahead.

The program featured sessions on intergenerational family farming, traceability, innovation, circularity and sustainability. Highlights include on-farm robotics, research into gene-based cotton tracing, a panel on circularity, and a fireside chat with RB Sellars on engaging consumers.

Water efficiency was a key area of discussion with National Irrigators’ Council CEO Zara Lowien leading an interactive session titled Cotton and Water: A Hands-On Look at Australia’s Allocation Puzzle, alongside Cotton Australia’s Education Manager Jenny Hughes and volunteers from the audience.

“It’s a hard topic, as we all know,” Ms Lowien said. “But it’s a big misconception that we have to constantly work to break down.”

There was also strong interest in innovation related to biodiversity.

“I didn’t expect that level of interest from the crowd – there were a lot of questions on it,” said University of Sydney’s Guy Roth. “It’s always been a challenging topic because it’s nature. It’s very diverse and difficult to be an expert in all the many different fields.”

Attendees responded positively to the level of openness and engagement throughout the day. Big W’s Andrew Whale said the attributes of Australian cotton continued to stand out.

“I think the provenance of Australian cotton actually drives a difference between it and cotton grown elsewhere – which is why we’re so interested,” Mr Whale said.

Cotton to Market Lead Brooke Summers said the level of engagement throughout the day was a highlight.

“It was an amazing day – huge interaction and interactivity from our audience, great questions, and really focusing in on some of those topics that our customers care about,” Ms Summers said.

The forum brought together growers, retailers, wholesalers, NGOs and others from across the textile supply chain for a day of open discussion and shared, revealing strong support for Australian cotton.