The fashion pendulum swings toward cotton. | COTTON USA

IT STARTS WITH CONSUMERS Fiber choice through the textile supply chain ultimately comes down to product choice at the consumer level. Brands and retailers can advertise and place apparel and home furnishings products at retail, but if the consumer is not willing to choose those products in their budget, then those products will not move. Effective product demand (or lack thereof) will affect the supply chain back to the textile manufacturers, and ultimately to fiber suppliers -- be they of natural fibers such as cotton, or of synthetic fiber such as polyester. Variables affecting textile fiber demand can be broken into long-term economic (including technology) and demographic trends, and changes in consumer preferences. Population and per capita income growth are the principal underlying long-term drivers of demand for services and products of all types, including textiles. Although the rate of global population growth has slowed, absolute numbers are still growing and a net of around...