The Value of Water

Held every year since 1991, World Water Week takes place in Stockholm during August, and each year the focus is to bring attention to the planet’s most important natural resource—water. For the cotton industry, water has always been an important part of the sustainability conversation, as the industry has made significant progress in water management practices. Since 1985 U.S. cotton growers have decreased their water use by 79%.?Currently 2/3 of cotton grown in the U.S. is not irrigated, utilizing natural rainfall to grow. Roughly 1/3 uses irrigation to supplement natural rainfall, and only 2% is solely dependent on irrigation.

For this year’s World Water Week theme, The Value of Water, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol seeks to dispel some common misconceptions that continue to persist about cotton’s water needs, as well as highlight the progress its growers have made since the program was launched in 2020.?

Contrary to popular belief, cotton is not a water-intensive crop

Global averages regarding cotton’s environmental impact can be misleading, as they fail to capture huge local variations in resource usage and impacts. Many sources continue to claim that cotton is a thirsty crop. This misinformation threatens the livelihoods of millions of stakeholders. Cotton is naturally drought tolerant and can grow in a variety of climate conditions, making it a viable crop in arid regions. Unlike many crops, cotton’s water needs are flexible—it can still grow and produce even when there is less water available.?This is partially due to cotton’s tap root, which can grow as deep as 6 feet into the soil. Additionally, cotton’s flexibility allows it to flower throughout its life cycle—meaning, if there is a dry period it will take a break and then start flowering again the water is present.

How much water does it take to produce a cotton t-shirt?

Over the years there have been many claims regarding how much water it takes to grow one cotton t-shirt. A figure often cited by individuals and organizations is that it takes roughly 20,000 liters of water to produce one cotton t-shirt. These claims are commonly used to argue that cotton production is not sustainable. According to the ICAC calculation regarding water needed to produce 1kg of cotton, the verified statistic is 1,931 liters of irrigation water and 6,003 liters of rainwater to produce 1kg of cotton lint—which is roughly the equivalent to one t-shirt and a pair of jeans. This statistic can be found in last year’s?Transformers Foundation report titled, Cotton: A Case Study in Information.

Tracking every drop

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol growers understand the importance of water management. Many are using systems like computer-driven moisture sensors to improve water efficiency by alerting them to periods of sufficient rainwater and showing water-level measurements at a series of distances below ground level. These advancements enable growers to understand if their cotton is receiving enough water at all levels. By receiving a picture of the soil’s moisture, farmers can irrigate their fields more efficiently—if irrigation is needed at all.?

Aaron Barcellos, a Trust Protocol grower from California says, “We track every drop of water that we apply to our fields year-to-year. We’ve got soil probes in the field and use satellite imagery. We have an agronomist that helps with irrigation scheduling and crop coefficients. All these changes allow us to eliminate waste and put every drop of water to use.”

Using data to continuously improve water management

Measurable and verifiable data is a key factor when it comes to continuous improvement.?With this information growers can make informed decisions, which in turn improves growing practices to help preserve and restore critical habitats, protects watersheds, and leaves the land in better condition than it was found.?In 2020/21 Trust Protocol growers showed significant improvement in water use increasing efficiency by 14%, compared to the 2025 U.S. National Goal for Continuous Improvement of increasing efficiency by 18%.?

Over time as the Trust Protocol program is in place and the data is published and recorded, it allows growers to systematically track continuous improvement with the collection of robust data. Accurate data collection sets the stage for appropriate decisions. Having this transparency will help growers and the entire cotton supply chain, ensuring that we are all working to protect the Earth’s most vital resource—water.