More water efficient
Cotton does require a lot of water to grow. However, it’s important to know that growing most fruits, vegetables and plants also involves using a lot of water. What’s more, cotton industry water use is decreasing in Australia, and is based on a licensing system which correlates with the natural environment, drought and other factors which determine how much water, if any, farmers receive.
Water licensing
Water is a precious resource in Australia, especially in drought. When there is less water available to everyone because of drought, less water is allocated to farms. In order to use water on a farm, you must have a water license, and the amount of water you are legally allocated for use varies depending on availability. Water is allocated to crop farms after communities, environment, fruit tree and animal farms are supplied.
Because cotton is an annual crop, farmers are able to decide how much cotton they will grow each year, based on how much water they have access to. For example, Renée, who grew our cotton, received no water allocation in 2020, when the nation’s cotton production halved.
Image: Orange trees, which receive water allocation before cotton to ensure they don’t die.
Farm water use compared
Cotton does require a lot of water. However, most of the foods and fibres we grow do too. In the 2018-19 year, 1.3 million mega litres (ML) of water was applied to cotton, 2.2 million ML to pasture and crops fed to farmed animals (including sheep), and 1 million ML to fruit and nuts.
Looking at plant agriculture’s water use per hectare (ha) in the same year, cotton grew on 7.1ML/ha of water, rice with 9.9ML/ha. Pumpkins used 6ML/ha, some tomatoes 8ML/ha.
Comparing cotton with another natural fibre, hemp, a CSIRO report stated ‘both cotton and hemp require reasonably significant inputs… an average of 5.5 ML/ha over 90 days for industrial hemp versus 7.8 ML/ha over 180 days for cotton…the water requirement for industrial hemp, depending on the location and season, is probably very similar to cotton.’
Image: Most lambs raised for their wool and meat are sent to feedlots for ~one quarter of their lives, where they eat grain before they are slaughtered. Photo via CSIRO.
World class water efficiency
Based in such a dry country, the Australian cotton industry has worked to become as water-efficient as possible, and continues to. We get a lot of cotton from the water we use.
The Water Footprint Network found that the ‘virtual water content’ of Australian cotton textiles is 3,000 cubic metres of water per tonne less than the global average. This is due not only to practices on farms, but to the processing of cotton fibre as it is transformed into a textile in Australia.
Australian cotton farmers have reduced their water use by 48% since 1992.
Image: Cotton being fed water through gravity pipe feeders.
Compared to other cotton
While not the case at Renée’s farm, some cotton in Australia and around the world is even entirely rain-fed. This is of course the most water-conscious option for raw material production. Cotton recycling, which is continually being improved and worked on by industry, is another way to have an even more sustainable material. Through fibre recycling, we are using what we have already, rather than growing more.
Image: Post-consumer cotton fabric during the recycling process.
References
…when the nation’s cotton production halved.
ABC
In the 2018-19 year, 1.3 million mega litres of water was applied…
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Let’s compare cotton with another natural fibre, hemp.
CSIRO
Pumpkins and tomatoes ML/ha
Aus Veg
Most lambs in the wool and meat industry are sent to feedlots…
Department of Primary Industries NSW, Australian Wool Innovation
The Water Footprint Network found that…
Water Footprint Network
Australian cotton farmers have reduced their water use…
Cotton Australia