Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• water
• carbon
• biodiversity
• pesticides
• soil health
• quality of work life
• wellbeing and social capital
• efficiency and profitability

Environmental Achievements

• 95% reduction in insecticide usage per hectare since 1993
• 87% decrease in Environmental Toxic Load (ETL) for bees since 2004
• 75% decrease in ETL for algae since 2004

Social Achievements

• Development of the PLANET. PEOPLE. PADDOCK sustainability framework
• Implementation of the Regional Wellbeing Survey (RWS) to measure wellbeing of rural and regional Australians in the cotton community
• Creation of the Australian cotton industry WHS committee to improve work health and safety

Governance Achievements

• Development of sustainability targets and indicators guided by the industry’s Sustainability Working Group
• Public consultation process on draft targets and indicators with over 340 respondents

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Off-target spray drift
• Decreasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)
• Potential loss of access to key pesticides due to changing regulations
• Yield variability within fields and across farms
• Low micronaire in cotton fibres

Mitigation Strategies

• Development of the Spray Drift Hazard Alert and Warning System
• Research into improving nitrogen use efficiency
• Facilitated discussions to consider implications of pesticide loss and alternative management options
• Research to understand causes of yield gaps and develop diagnostic framework
• Research into how day degree accumulation affects cotton micronaire and management strategies to improve boll maturity

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Drought
• Monsoon conditions

Transition Risks

• Changing pesticide regulations

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• productivity and profitability
• sustainability
• value chain competitiveness
• adaptive capacity
• partnerships and adoption
• RD&E impact
• biodiversity
• water use efficiency
• carbon footprint
• human rights

Environmental Achievements

• 91 per cent reduction in hazard of pesticide to bees since 2004
• nearly 100 per cent improvement in water productivity between 1997 and 2021
• estimated emissions footprint of Australian cotton production for 2022 rose to 303 kg of CO2/bale
• percentage of farm area set aside for native vegetation rose to eight per cent in 2022

Social Achievements

• increase in the proportion of female and First Nations workers since 2016
• CottonInfo celebrated 10 years of delivering outcomes for the Australian cotton industry

Governance Achievements

• Independent Performance Review found CRDC is a high-performing RDC
• Independent Board Evaluation found the Board was performing well

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• dry conditions during the first half of the strategic plan period
• challenges associated with COVID-19
• labour and fertiliser shortages, heavy rains, flooding and cool conditions
• potential resistance in Helicoverpa to Bt cotton, and loss of access to pesticides
• growing resistance in key weed species to pesticides
• workforce shortage

Mitigation Strategies

• five-year CRDC, GRDC and Goanna Ag collaboration – Weather and Networked Data, or WAND
• four-year, $27 million, 30-partner collaboration focused on boosting agricultural production in Northern Australia
• development of a data platform to facilitate new research approaches and insights
• investigating how vocational educational training (VET) and formal apprenticeships and traineeships can support pathways for young people in the cotton and grains industry

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• drought
• flooding
• heat stress

Transition Risks

• reduced access to pesticides
• reduced input systems

Opportunities

• improving crop water use and photosynthetic carbon assimilation

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• BioClay™
• novel biopesticide (N68)
• silica nanoparticles for drought resilience

Awards & Recognition

• ABARES Science and Innovation Awards

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Climate change
• Biodiversity
• Circular economy
• Disease management
• Sustainable industry expansion
• Data-driven decisions
• Human capacity
• Grower satisfaction

Environmental Achievements

• Close to 90% of environmental criteria observed across all farms rated ‘excellent’, ‘very good’ or ‘good’, rising to over 95% for myBMP-registered growers.
• Partnership between Country Road, Landcare Australia and the cotton industry to restore biodiversity on cotton farms extended for another three years.
• Options for adding value in circular economy explored, including three seasons of field trials demonstrating composting of textile waste to cotton farms.

Social Achievements

• 82% of growers satisfied that CRDC’s investments in R&D are addressing the challenges that growers face.
• 82% of growers recognise that CRDC and CottonInfo have contributed to improving their productivity and sustainability.
• Australian Future Cotton Leaders Program supported, with a record number of applications received.

Governance Achievements

• Developed a digital strategy for the Australian cotton industry, establishing a data governance framework.
• Established the Australian Cotton Disease Collaboration (ACDC) with a $10 million commitment to disease RD&E.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Major diseases impacting the cotton industry (Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, reoccurring wilt, black root rot).
• Climate change impacts on cotton production.
• Need for sustainable low-carbon cotton production.
• Developing the circular economy for Australian cotton.
• Maintaining and building capacity in partner organisations.

Mitigation Strategies

• Established the Australian Cotton Disease Collaboration (ACDC) with a $10 million commitment to disease RD&E.
• Investing in research to identify sustainable integrated farming systems for northern Australia.
• Developing a clear pathway to carbon neutrality.
• Committed $2 million to circularity research over the next three years.
• Forming strategic partnerships with research, government, and commercial partners.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Climate change impacts on cotton production