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Highlights

LDC entered the global cotton business 40 years ago, and has grown to be a world leader in cotton merchandizing, serving all major consumer markets today.

LDC: From Field to Fabric

Major Player

We are a leading originator of US, Brazilian and Australian cotton.

Active Worldwide

We source cotton from Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, the US and other key producing regions.
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Leading in China

In China, our domestic cotton sourcing and sales networks is one of the largest of any foreign group.

About Cotton

Cotton is a bulk staple fiber produced from the cotton plant, used as the primary raw material for textiles all over the globe. It is grown in tropical and subtropical regions, within latitudes with long frost-free periods of 150 days or more, in a year.

Asia is key region for both cotton production and consumption. Together, China and India produce about half of the world’s cotton. India is one of the largest exporters, whereas China is a leading consumer and importer.

The US is the world’s largest exporter and third largest producer, with remaining global production spread among more than 50 other countries.

Our Cotton Value Chain

Each of our business lines is integrating further across the five steps of our value chain, as we respond to the need for a traceable and responsible supply line from farmer to consumer.

01Originate & Produce

01Originate & Produce

We share our expertise with farmers and producers worldwide, ourselves or with business partners and expert organizations, as part of our commitment to responsible, sustainable and traceable supply chains.

02Process & Refine

02Process & Refine

Once bought or harvested, we bring crops to our assets for the next stage in their journey. These are ethically and sustainably processed and refined, coming one step closer to the consumer.

03Store & Transport

03Store & Transport

Our strategically located network of silos, warehouses, transloading facilities and ports allows us facilitate access to market for local farmers around the globe and enable us to control costs and mitigate risk throughout the product journey.

04Research & Merchandize

04Research & Merchandize

Our depth of marketing and merchandizing experience is our greatest strength. All our platforms and regions rely on our market knowledge to ensure responsive supply.

05Customize & distribute

05Customize & distribute

We supply products to a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to local manufacturers and retailers.

01Originate & Produce

01Originate & Produce

We share our expertise with farmers and producers worldwide, ourselves or with business partners and expert organizations, as part of our commitment to responsible, sustainable and traceable supply chains.

02Process & Refine

02Process & Refine

Once bought or harvested, we bring crops to our assets for the next stage in their journey. These are ethically and sustainably processed and refined, coming one step closer to the consumer.

03Store & Transport

03Store & Transport

Our strategically located network of silos, warehouses, transloading facilities and ports allows us facilitate access to market for local farmers around the globe and enable us to control costs and mitigate risk throughout the product journey.

04Research & Merchandize

04Research & Merchandize

Our depth of marketing and merchandizing experience is our greatest strength. All our platforms and regions rely on our market knowledge to ensure responsive supply.

05Customize & distribute

05Customize & distribute

We supply products to a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to local manufacturers and retailers.

Our Strengths

Through solid business relationships with both suppliers and customers, and a presence in all key producing markets, our Cotton business has steadily built up its volumes and reputation as a responsible cotton supplier.

In addition to our leading positions in the US and China, we are also leaders for domestic and international merchandizing in South America. In 2021, we continued to strengthen our core merchandizing business through continued expansion of our logistics network in key origination countries, such as the US, Brazil, and Australia, successfully executing the biggest break-bulk cotton cargo of 130,000 bales in 2022, to ever ship from the latter.

Our skill at monitoring and managing supply and demand fundamentals is one of our key competitive advantages. And our risk management and research expertise allows us to successfully navigate complex and volatile trading environments.

On call 24/7 around the world for business, we provide timely delivery programs for spinning mills across the globe, made possible through strategic relationships with producers and a global network of trading offices and logistic assets.

Committed to Sustainable Cotton

From sourcing certified cotton to promoting best practice within and beyond our value chain, we work proactively toward increasingly sustainable operations and supply chains, both as LDC and in collaboration with partner organizations such as the Better Cotton Initiative.

With LDC representation on the board, we continued to help promote and shape the US Cotton Trust Protocol initiative, enrolling more growers in 2021.

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