Social and Environmental Impacts of the Global Cotton Industry: An analysis of Organic and Fairtrade Standards

The intensive cotton industry has historically been associated with huge environmental consequences, high market volatility, scant payments and systemic human rights abuses. Through the focus on Central Asian historical monoculture, this research aims to reveal whether voluntary standards-setting schemes, organic or fair trade, would lessen the phenomena of water depletion, soil degradation and reduce the use of chemical pesticides through sustainable farming practices. Moreover, the thesis attempts to analyse whether these schemes have the potential to alleviate the human rights abuses derived from the world cotton industry, by discussing the fair trade standards which ensure the delivery of agricultural programs, access to credit and fairer market conditions for cotton farmers marginalized from the benefits of international trade, towards the achievement of a decent life.