Whether we are out on the streets or between the sheets, cotton is our
constant companion. But behind this ubiquitous fibre prized for its
softness lies a darker story of exploitation and hardship. In this
penetrating analysis, Adam Sneyd explores the power politics that
envelop cotton as major corporate players and countries across Africa,
Asia and the Americas compete to control it.
In the aftermath of sweatshop scandal exposés and factory collapse
disasters, merchants and retailers have called for �better� cotton
farming practices. But in seeking to prevent the next transnational
media circus, will companies simply end up cementing business-as-usual?
Corporate public relations strategy now competes directly with the
voices of an alternative global community that seeks to fundamentally
transform the way that cotton is farmed. Yet these demands for cotton to
work better for people and the planet have flown under the radar as
media attention has focused instead on farmer subsidies and prices. From
the local to the global, this book takes the reader on an illuminating
journey through the multifaceted and often grubby politics of the fluffy
white stuff in the world economy. The pile of political laundry it
uncovers is voluminous but, as Sneyd argues, must be aired in the
interests of sustainability and development.
