Cotton On: a conference exploring cotton from plant to process

Article Added: 01/05/2009 10:49:13
There will be a one-day conference later this month exploring the fascinating fibre of cotton and challenging participants to find the most sustainable ways forward for using it in their work. Cotton is the world’s most popular fibre, and this conference brings together campaigning organisations, retailers and businesses, certification bodies, designers and researchers together in one place to explore and debate the many ethical issues surrounding it.

The conference will be taking place on Saturday 9 May – World Fair Trade Day – and is open to anyone with an interest in cotton and its uses; from fashion students to ethical consumers, from textile manufacturers to campaigners, from clothing retailers to certifiers, from development students to designers.

There will be a range of talks and workshops taking place throughout the day, which will include first-hand accounts from Fairtrade and organic clothing pioneers, ethical fashion leaders, trade justice campaigners, businesses and government. Speakers at the event include Lucy Siegle, ethical living and environmental journalist for the Observer; Abigail Petit, Director of Gossypium; Gillian Lipton from Monsoon; Carolyn Whitwell, Director of Bishopston Trading Centre and Barbara Crowther, Communications Director at the Fairtrade Foundation.

The day promises to be full of interesting discussions and viewpoints and will finish with a vibrant debate from key speakers. If you would like to join in tickets are available from Bishopston Trading Centre, priced at £12 for adults and £8 for concessions, which includes lunch. To book your place, please click here.