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Analyst Report

Oct 16, 2026

Verdantix: Sustainable Cotton for Fashion

How do fashion brands source sustainable cotton, and what would make them buy more? An independent Verdantix study.

White linen shirts on wooden hangers, with the Verdantix, Olam Agri and Terrascope logos

See how sustainability and procurement teams at 30 fashion brands set their cotton goals, choose certifications and decide what premium to pay.

Brands are under pressure to back their cotton claims, but regulatory uncertainty, certification credibility and supply chain transparency slow the switch to sustainable cotton.

For 78% of the brands surveyed, cotton is a significant or very significant raw material. 72% already source at least half of their cotton sustainably, and about half have time-bound goals to reach 100%.

This independent Verdantix study gives sustainability and procurement leaders at fashion and apparel brands a benchmark of how 30 peers in North America and Europe source cotton today.

What you'll get in the report:

  • Sustainable cotton goals: how brands set them, and how many have reached them.
  • Certifications: the schemes brands trust most.
  • The buying decision: who signs off the purchase, and how long decisions take.
  • Challenges: regulatory uncertainty, certification credibility and supply chain transparency.
  • Price premium: what brands will pay for sustainable cotton (up to 50%).

Complete the form to download the full report and benchmark your cotton strategy against your peers.

Built on Independent Research

Verdantix interviewed 30 sustainability and procurement professionals (25 quantitative and 5 qualitative interviews) for Olam Agri and Terrascope, to understand what fashion brands need to switch to low-carbon cotton.

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