By the year 2050, the Earth will be home to 9.7 billion people – 3 billion more than today’s population who will need food, fuel, and clothing provisions. And it is a serious potential mid-life crisis for this generation’s babies.

However, by marrying the “make the most of what you have” adage with new technologies, cotton has the ability to fulfill all three basic provision categories – positioning itself as the ultimate added-value fiber.

In doing so, cotton will meet consumer preferences and needs. Most women (70%) feel better quality garments are made with natural fibers, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorTM survey. Further, 73% of women indicate they might be bothered if they found out an apparel item was not produced in an environmentally friendly way, according to the Cotton Incorporated 2010 Environment Survey.

John Mowbray, editor and publisher of Ecotextile News, also holds a degree in environmental biology. He acknowledges that the debate among synthetic, organic, and traditionally grown fibers is still a hot topic. But at the end of the day, he says, “Oil will run out. End of story.”

“Perhaps before this happens, governments will have to decide whether to use what’s left to make clothes or generate energy,” Mowbray notes. “Not a hard choice, is it? These issues will continue to be a hot-button topic for clothing retailers and brands going forward. However, as in 2009, for the first half of 2010, retailers will definitely focus more on the bottom line than on eco issues.”

Mowbray does not expect retailers to abandon their sustainability programs altogether as “more and more retailers want to have an environmental story.”

Cotton’s triple-dividend status elevates it in the environmental discussion: not only is its fiber used to make apparel, but every pound of cotton fiber yields 1.5 pounds of cottonseed, which can also be converted into bio-diesel fuel. Additionally, cottonseed is currently used as a dairy feed additive to increase the quantity and quality of milk production.

These additional benefits will likely resonate with consumers: more than three-quarters (78%) of Environment Survey respondents say they practice recycling as a form of environmental activism at home.

Of course, consumers are not alone in their recycling efforts. The cotton industry recycles both for function and for profit. It has already developed erosion-control hydromulches made from cotton ginning by-products, which previously had purely been bio-waste. And old, worn-out denim jeans are also being repurposed to create natural home insulation.

Further environmental advances in the cotton industry include improved irrigation techniques that have allowed U.S. cotton growers to halve water usage since the 1980s, and biotechnology advances that have led to a 25% reduction in pesticide usage since the mid-1990s – all while increasing yields.

Looking ahead to 2050, the cotton industry is aiming to take these improvements even further – by addressing impending food and fiber demands, while developing further precision agriculture technologies that reduce overall input applications of water, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Goals for 2050 include creating bioengineered cotton varieties that increase yield on less land (acreage that can then be used to grow other food crops), and developing climate-tolerant strains that could allow cotton to thrive in diverse environments.

Last year, research scientists at Texas AgriLife at Texas A&M University furthered their study of ultra-low gossypol cottonseed. Five generations of cottonseed generating ultra-low gossypol in the seed and enhanced levels in the leaves had been successfully grown in greenhouses; in 2009, that success was repeated in a true cotton-growing environment in the field.

The ramifications of this breakthrough are enormous; gossypol’s presence in cottonseed historically made it indigestible for humans, but this new research could lead to nearly 49 million tons of high-fiber foodstuff annually.

Liz Muller, a Mill Valley, CA environmental consultant, says, “Cotton remains a renewable fiber – one that provided income to some of the world’s poorest communities. And as technology and knowledge advance, the input impacts will lessen over time.”

Many such technological advances are already in place, and have resulted in reductions in topsoil erosion and the sequestration of high volumes of carbon in the field. Techniques such as integrated pest management are effectively managing harmful insects with minimal chemical use, and more environmentally-friendly chemistries in textile processing are also being advanced on a global scale.

Taking the lead in environmental action makes sense, since consumers look to others to make sure the apparel they purchase is eco-friendly. If consumers purchase a piece of clothing and then found out it was produced in a non-environmentally-friendly way, 42% say they would blame manufacturer, while 14% would blame themselves and 11%  would blame the brand.

Mowbray adds, “Right now, I’d say price is definitely the main concern for consumers, [though] overall, I think consumers are pre-disposed to buy ‘green.’ It’s a very positive message.”