The Cotton Value Chain

There are many stages required to process cotton from fibres to the final fabrics. After ginning, the fibres are cleaned, carded or combed, spun into yarn, possibly coated with starches or chemicals, woven or knitted into fabric, cleaned up from their coating and their natural wax, bleached, immersed in concentrated caustic soda, dyed or printed, chemically treated for easy care and other properties, and tailored into the final garment. Usually, the production cycle involves large transport distances (Internal link to “4 Transport”) since the different processing stages are located in distant world regions. Ecological and social risks (Internal link to “Risks of cotton processing) of the textile processing industry are high. See details about each processing stages by clicking on the pictures.