Editing Cotton (section)

===Fair trade===
Cotton is an enormously important commodity throughout the world. It provides livelihoods for up to 1 billion people, including 100 million smallholder farmers who cultivate cotton.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Voora, V. |author2=Larrea, C. |author3=Bermudez, S. |date=2020|title=Global Market Report: Cotton|url=https://www.iisd.org/ssi/commodities/cotton-coverage/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127005927/https://www.iisd.org/ssi/commodities/cotton-coverage/ |archive-date=27 January 2021 |website=State of Sustainability Initiatives}}</ref> However, many farmers in developing countries receive a low price for their produce, or find it difficult to compete with developed countries.

This has led to an international dispute (see [[Brazil–United States cotton dispute]]):

<blockquote>On 27 September 2002, Brazil requested consultations with the US regarding prohibited and actionable subsidies provided to US producers, users and/or exporters of upland cotton, as well as legislation, regulations, statutory instruments and amendments thereto providing such subsidies (including export credits), grants, and any other assistance to the US producers, users and exporters of upland cotton.<ref>United States&nbsp;– Subsidies on Upland Cotton, [http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds267_e.htm World Trade Organization] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403032503/http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds267_e.htm |date=3 April 2013 }}. Retrieved 2 October 2006.</ref>

On 8 September 2004, the Panel Report recommended that the United States "withdraw" export credit guarantees and payments to domestic users and exporters, and "take appropriate steps to remove the adverse effects or withdraw" the mandatory price-contingent subsidy measures.<ref>United States&nbsp;– Subsidies on Upland Cotton, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120520140128/http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/WT/DS/267R.doc World Trade Organization]. Retrieved 2 October 2006.</ref>
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While Brazil was fighting the US through the WTO's Dispute Settlement Mechanism against a heavily subsidized cotton industry, a group of four least-developed African countries&nbsp;– Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali&nbsp;– also known as "Cotton-4" have been the leading protagonist for the reduction of US cotton subsidies through negotiations. The four introduced a "Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton", presented by Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaoré during the Trade Negotiations Committee on 10 June 2003.<ref>[http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/cotton_subcommittee_e.htm The Cotton Sub-Committee] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902015509/http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/cotton_subcommittee_e.htm |date=2 September 2012 }}. World Trade Organization. Retrieved 3 August 2012.</ref>

In addition to concerns over subsidies, the cotton industries of some countries are criticized for employing child labor and damaging workers' health by exposure to pesticides used in production. The [[Environmental Justice Foundation]] has campaigned against the prevalent use of forced child and adult labor in cotton production in [[Uzbekistan]], the world's third largest cotton exporter.<ref>The Environmental Justice Foundation, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120815042003/http://www.ejfoundation.org/page93.html "Environmental Justice Foundation: Reports on Cotton"] retrieved 22 February 2010</ref>

The international production and trade situation has led to "[[fair trade]]" cotton clothing and footwear, joining a rapidly growing market for organic clothing, fair fashion or "ethical fashion". The fair trade system was initiated in 2005 with producers from [[Cameroon]], [[Mali]] and [[Senegal]], with the [[Association Max Havelaar France]] playing a lead role in the establishment of this segment of the fair trade system in conjunction with [[Fairtrade International]] and the French organisation [[:fr:Dagris|Dagris]] (''Développement des Agro-Industries du Sud'').<ref>UNCTAD, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131123215524/http://r0.unctad.org/infocomm/anglais/cotton/market.htm#fair Market: Fair Trade Cotton Market], Info Comm: Market Information in the Commodities Area, archived 23 November 2013, accessed 23 August 2021</ref>