The Bremen Cotton Exchange and the Fibre Institute Bremen invite you to take part in the hybrid edition of the International Cotton Conference Bremen on 17 and 18 March, under the motto “Passion for Cotton!” With top-class informative lectures, as well as varied discussion panels and its opportunities for interaction, this meeting of the world’s cotton and textile value chain will once again live up to its high reputation within the industry.

• The conference organisers are also not afraid to take up topics that are often the focus of public criticism. One example of this is the two-hour panel discussion on Wednesday, 17 March, which aims to answer key questions about processes and methods for responsible fibre production. Here, current and future standards will be compared and contrasted.
• Mark Messura, Senior Vice President of the Global Supply Chain Marketing Division at Cotton Incorporated, Cary, USA, will lead the panel discussion.
• In his career he can look back on 27 years of experience in production processes and the marketing of cotton.

His discussion partners are five participants who work in the fields of agricultural research and natural fibre production, as well as in non-governmental organisations.

La Rhea Pepper belongs to the fifth generation of a Texan cotton farming family. La Rhea is an expert in organic cotton cultivation and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Textile Exchange. As a global non-profit organisation, Textile Exchange, together with its members, is pursuing the goal of developing sustainable production standards for different fibre and material groups.

Jessi Christiansen has been Global Cotton, Sorghum & Alfalfa Manger for Bayer Crop Science, St. Louis, USA, since 2018. Before that, she worked for Monsanto Company in various leadership positions over the past ten years. As a leader in agriculture, Bayer can shape the future of agriculture for farmers, consumers and our planet by pioneering innovation, setting new standards in sustainability, and accelerating digital transformation. Bayer continues to make substantial investments in the cotton industry, and perhaps no example underscores this commitment better than our robust pipeline featuring the strongest germplasm and biotechnology traits in the industry. With its bundled know-how of seed breeding, biotechnology and digital development, Bayer Crop Science is increasing both the yields and fibre quality, as well as the resilience of cotton globally.

Dalena White is General Secretary of the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) in Brussels. The IWTO has represented the common interests of the international wool trade since 1930 and, through measures in the fields of research, advice, and information, ensures a future of natural wool and its processing into textiles based on sustainability.

Janet O’Regan is Director Nonwovens Marketing for Cotton Incorporated, USA. In this position, she evaluates possible uses for cotton in the area of nonwovens and other non-traditional markets. At the same time, she develops strategies for their marketing. She will present a method for processing cotton into a plastic-like material. This should help to reduce the consumption of petroleum-based single-use plastic products, such as the European Union is aiming for with its planned regulations.

• The panel discussion will also include a representative from the Better Cotton Initiative. For many years, the BCI has been committed to continuously improving farmers’ cotton cultivation in selected countries based on regional conditions. Their projects can have different priorities.
• Under the headline “Passion for Sustainability”, a session will take place in the afternoon on Thursday, 18 March, focusing on projects relating to sustainable cotton cultivation.

Vivek Kumar Rawal, CEO and Director, bioRe India Ltd reports on challenges and perspectives in the cultivation of organic cotton in India. Vivek Kumar Rawal sees an essential task in promoting the organic cotton sector and the development of GMO-free seeds.

“Passion for Sustainability in Cotton” is the theme of Suzanne Barratt’s lecture. She is Manager of Communication for Field Crops, Seeds & Traits in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region at the French BASF subsidiary in Lion. She will report on the results of using the ‘Certified Sustainable FiberMax’ programme in Greece.