At the recent Sourcing Journal Sustainability Forum, titled “Road to 2030: Dealing with Disruption,” Supima president and chief executive officer Marc Lewkowitz challenged the fashion industry’s obsession with “cheap” and laid out a new vision for cotton sustainability.
In a fireside chat with Sarah Jones, senior editor of strategic content at Sourcing Journal, Lewkowitz said the industry’s shift toward transparency is no longer optional, but a fundamental requirement for survival in a volatile climate and a stricter regulatory landscape.
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Lewkowitz opened the discussion by grounding the conversation in history, noting that cotton has remained a viable and desired resource for seven millennia. However, he cautioned that modern sustainability is not a given but a precarious balance maintained by the stewardship of cotton growers. He said farmers are the original environmentalists because their success is tied directly to the health of their land.
According to Lewkowitz, if a grower abuses the soil, the system ceases to be viable, leaving zero likelihood of success from a sustainability standpoint. Today’s advancements, such as waste management and precision irrigation, are not merely choices, but necessary investments for long-term survival.
Then there’s the problem with cheap cotton to consider. Lewkowitz pushed back against the traditional value proposition that equates value with the lowest possible price. He argued that the current financial system, which frequently squeezes the supply chain until growers and mills are no longer profitable, is fundamentally unsustainable.
For a truly responsible industry to exist, Lewkowitz said there must be a shift toward “responsible pricing.” He said delivering authenticity and stewardship to the consumer cannot happen when the price is forced below the cost of responsible production. Without a fair return, the investments required for regenerative practices and water conservation simply cannot be sustained.
As regenerative agriculture overtakes traditional organic labels in popularity, Lewkowitz highlighted the unique challenges American growers face. Many U.S. farmers have already implemented low-till or no-till practices and advanced water management, which are cornerstones of regenerative systems. Ironically, because these practices are already part of their large-scale operations due to existing regulations, it can be difficult for these farmers to claim “new” regenerative improvements.
He described regenerative farming as a “forwarding system,” one that constantly seeks the next level of enhancement for the farming ecosystem rather than just meeting a static certification.
The AQRe Project (Authenticity, Quality, Responsibility)
To address the rise in textile fraud and the looming pressure of global regulations, Lewkowitz then detailed the launch of the AQRe (Authenticity, Quality, Responsibility) Project. He admitted that the industry’s previous reliance on paper-based licensing was essentially a “trust-based system” that was prone to manipulation by suppliers under price pressure.
The AQRe Project replaces this outdated model with a digital blockchain system that provides real-time traceability. Crucially, this digital trail is underpinned by forensic science. Supima now uses isotopic profiling, which is a method that analyzes the naturally occurring trace elements in a fiber to verify its specific point of origin. By mapping the chemical signatures of different growing regions, Supima can provide forensic proof that a product is exactly what the label claims.
Navigating Climate Volatility
The conversation also turned to the immediate threat of climate change, particularly for Pima cotton, which requires a specific desert environment to thrive. Lewkowitz described the biological struggle of the cotton plant, noting that the finest fibers are often the result of the plant evolving to survive stress.
However, that struggle is reaching a breaking point in regions like California. He highlighted the total lack of snowpack in the Sierras this year as a looming crisis. While it may not impact the immediate harvest, the lack of water reserves for the following year will inevitably lead to shortages and higher prices for consumers, further highlighting the need for a resilient and transparent supply chain.
