Once Australian cotton is delivered to the spinning mill, the Australian cotton industry no longer has control over how it is used, in what products or its destination. This is driven by those further down the supply chain - and that's why Cotton Australia is working with brands and retailers, encouraging them to demand Australian cotton in their finished goods.
Spinning mills typically make yarn (and sometimes fabric) based on orders from their customers that usually specify a desired quality and price. Raw cotton from a number of different countries is often spun together in order to meet the requested quality parameters at the least cost, and mostly it is of no consequence to the spinning mill where the cotton was grown – unless their customers demand it.
Spinning mills sell their yarns to fabric manufacturers (knitters and weavers) and in the case of vertically-integrated operations, supply their own knitting and weaving operations with yarn. Some specialise in spinning 100% cotton yarns while others blend cotton with other natural fibres like cotton and wool, or with synthetic fibres like polyester, rayon or modal.