Key Takeaways:
- £1 Million Initial Investment: Gooddrop, co-founded by Simon Wardle and Andres Perea, is set to disrupt cotton farming with a focus on sustainability.
- Vertical Farming for Cotton: In partnership with the University of Nottingham, Gooddrop is developing methods to grow cotton indoors, drastically reducing water usage and environmental impact.
- Innovative Research Units: Custom cotton research labs are established to optimize conditions for growing cotton indoors, leading to a scalable model.
- Environmental and Ethical Focus: Gooddrop aims to address water scarcity, land degradation, and traceability issues in traditional cotton farming.
Gooddrop’s Ambition: Sustainable Cotton Through Vertical Farming
Gooddrop, an innovative AgTech startup from Hull, has secured a £1 million investment aimed at pioneering vertical farming for cotton. With backing from angel investors, co-founders Simon Wardle and Andres Perea have set their sights on transforming how cotton is produced, starting with a three-year research collaboration with the University of Nottingham.
Simon Wardle, CEO of Gooddrop, shared his vision, stating, “We founded Gooddrop to provide the retail sector with a sustainable solution to issues of cotton production. By bringing cotton indoors, we aim to develop a resource-efficient, profitable crop that the agriculture, manufacturing, and retail sectors can utilize fully.”
Partnership with the University of Nottingham: Advanced Research for Cotton Indoors
To drive this shift, Gooddrop has partnered with the University of Nottingham, leveraging its expertise in plant and crop science. This collaboration has led to the installation of six custom-built research units on the university’s Sutton Bonington Campus. These units, designed by Cambridge HOK, were constructed from converted containers and will allow researchers to experiment with optimal growing conditions for indoor cotton, including light manipulation, temperature, humidity, and water use efficiency.
Professor Erik Murchie, from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences, highlighted the goals of the partnership: “This project is about developing vertical farming concepts for cotton. By controlling light quality, humidity, and temperature, we aim to reduce the resources needed for cotton production.”
Addressing Sustainability Challenges in Cotton Production
Gooddrop’s approach tackles pressing environmental and ethical concerns in the cotton industry. Traditional field-grown cotton is notoriously resource-intensive, using approximately 7,000–10,000 liters of water per kilogram of cotton. In contrast, Wardle estimates that Gooddrop’s vertical farming method could reduce water usage by up to 95%, significantly minimizing the ecological footprint of cotton production.
“As one of the most destructive crops on the planet, cotton contributes heavily to water consumption and land degradation,” Wardle noted. “By bringing cotton indoors, we’re creating a more sustainable model. This approach also allows for rewilding of former agricultural land, potentially covering an area as vast as Germany, contributing positively to CO2 sequestration and biodiversity.”
In addition to water efficiency, Gooddrop’s controlled indoor environment will eliminate the need for pesticides, ensuring a cleaner, safer product for consumers and the environment. This model also supports full traceability of cotton, meeting growing consumer demand for transparency in sourcing and ethical production practices.
The Future of Cotton Farming: A Scalable Indoor Model
The research conducted at Gooddrop’s facilities is expected to lay the groundwork for a scalable model that could be implemented on a larger scale over the next few years. Early research has already identified cotton varieties suitable for indoor growth, with breeding programs underway to optimize these varieties for Gooddrop’s specific methods.
John Foulkes, Associate Professor in Crop Science at the University of Nottingham, emphasized the research’s importance: “These units allow us to fine-tune growing conditions and increase water efficiency. This innovation could be a game-changer for sustainable cotton production.”
Towards a Sustainable and Profitable Cotton Industry
For Wardle, Gooddrop represents the culmination of a vision to address longstanding issues in cotton production, from environmental impacts to ethical sourcing. As the company scales, it will continue seeking private equity and venture capital support to realize its goal of becoming a global leader in sustainable cotton.
“Now is the time to rethink cotton production,” Wardle concluded. “Our innovative indoor farming approach places Gooddrop in a unique position to bridge the gap between sustainability and profitability, positioning us as a disruptor in the global cotton market.”
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