The Australian cotton industry is currently driving its second phase trial on farms in both New South Wales and Queensland as it seeks to identify a long-term solution to textile waste.
The trial involves returning leftover cotton back to farms, which is then scattered over growing cotton fields.
For its 2022/23 trial, program partners Cotton Australia, Goondiwindi Cotton, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) and Sheridan have been joined by Thread Together.
Goondiwindi Cotton founder Sam Coulton, who hosted the phase 1 trial, is joined by Gunnedah farmer Scott Morgan for the next phase.
Morgan said his decision to take part in the trial was easy given his early adoption of a large-scale solar generation and numerous conservation projects.
“I’m excited about returning 100% cotton back to farms because I think it’s the right thing to do for the environment by helping close the circularity gap,” Morgan said. “My strong hope is that the cotton waste can improve soil health and organisms – thereby improving crop yields.”
Morgan said flooding delayed spreading but, in late December 2022, he was able to distribute around 2.4 tonnes of the shredded material supplied by Thread Together onto an already planted cotton field. Overhead irrigation then watered the material into the soil and the resulting crop is reportedly looking good, standing at about 50cm and scheduled for harvest in late May.
Poor weather, heavy flooding and logistics issues also impacted Coulton in Goondiwindi, 350 kilometres west of Brisbane. Coulton managed to apply 600 kilograms of cotton waste onto one plot on his farm, which he said was less than hoped for but significant in his second year of circularity trails.
Since application Coulton has furrow cultivated and irrigated and said the material has broken down significantly.
“The first phase was positive, but with COVID and poor weather, we were limited in what we could achieve,” Coulton said. “I am hopeful this phase will lead to a major transformation in cotton circularity.”
Soil scientist Dr Oliver Knox, who oversaw phase 1 and is overseeing phase 2, has found that cotton textile waste has no adverse impact to soil health or cotton yields. He added that new test results from phase 1 were encouraging.
“This work is very important in helping to resolve the issues caused by Australians throwing away 23 kilos of textile waste per person each year,” Dr Knox said.
“We found that organic carbon in the top 10cm of soil from phase 1 has increased to 1.08% from .77%, and that is a significant jump. Sulphur has also increased from 4.5mg per kg to 7.4mg per kg and that indicates improved soil fertility and health.”
Program partner Thread Together CEO Anthony Chesler said rather than cotton waste, the organisation is dealing with excess stock.
“Thread Together never declines a donation of excess clothing and sometimes this creates more supply than demand,” Chesler said. “As part of this new challenge, we were pleased to work with Worn Up to ensure 100% cotton garments were shredded and dispatched to Gunnedah.”
Chesler added that while Thread Together’s core purpose is to divert brand new clothing, footwear and accessories from landfill to people in need, “in some circumstances, the amount of new clothing for some product lines far exceeds the current demand for these items.”
“In such situations, we task ourselves to manage these items in line with the waste hierarchy by thinking global and acting locally, and the fibre composition dictates the pathway.
“We are very excited to be participating in the 2nd phase of Returning Cotton Waste to Cotton Fields in Gunnedah with the prospect of a scalable solution for managing natural fibres in Australia by returning these items to the ground to regenerate the soil on cotton fields.”
Another brand involved in the phase 2 trial is Australian bedding brand Sheridan, under management from parent company Hanes Australasia.
Hanes Australasia president Tanya Deans confirmed the company was involved in the phase 1 trial with Goondiwindi, which prepared it for phase 2, where it has provided cotton waste offcuts for the project.
“Progress towards circularity is an important part of our sustainability journey and Sheridan, together with the wider Hanes business, is committed to supporting this effort in the provision of cotton waste offcuts.
“I’d also like to thank the CRDC and Thread Together for supporting this mission with their generous contribution as well.”
Cotton Australia supply chain consultant Brooke Summers is leading the Goondiwindi and Gunnedah circularity project. Summers works closely with all brands and their consumers who are invested in textile circularity and its sustainability credentials through the Cotton to Market program.
“The results from phase 1 show it’s possible to find a scalable solution to cotton textile waste right here in Australia,” Summers said. “Our farmers want it and they are passionate about returning cotton waste to their farms to become part of the next crop, closing the loop on circularity.
“Cotton consumers want it too and they are demanding environmental solutions as part of their purchasing decisions. Phase 2 should bring us a step closer, but we need the committed involvement of governments, industry groups, brands and potential investors.”
Phase 2 will be monitored closely by Dr Knox at both locations with all results being scientifically assessed before a full report is produced to guide future circularity developments.
CRDC commits $2 million in funding
Meanwhile, the CRDC has committed almost $2 million in funds over the next three years to a new suite of projects to complement Dr Knox’s initial work. The CRDC already provide funding for Dr Knox to continue his research and development in textile waste solutions.
Dr Knox’s new projects are aimed at increasing understanding of textile waste breakdown and its effects on soils health, as well as the logistics and business challenges of processing and transporting textile waste back to cotton farms.
CRDC executive director Dr Ian Taylor said this program could be a game-changer.
“But we need scientific rigour to fully appreciate the soil science and the long-term impact of returning cotton textiles to the farm: carbon footprint, impact on soil health, waterways, benefits to farmers, brands, and other stakeholders.”
One of the new projects already underway is a three-year investment with the University of Newcastle to further investigate the effects of dyes and finishes from waste material on soil health. This is particularly around the diversity, growth and functioning of soil microbes.
This project will also look at ways to pelletise cotton textiles through biological breakdown of the waste material to enable spreading on fields using existing farm machinery.