International Cotton Association

The International Cotton Association (ICA) is a trade association and arbitral body that operates on a not-for-profit basis in the commodity of cotton.

Formerly the Liverpool Cotton Association, it was formed in 1841 in Liverpool, UK, by a group of cotton brokers who created a set of trading rules to regulate the sale and purchase of raw cotton.

The ICA is made up of member firms or individuals from the international cotton supply chain.

It is one of the founding members of CICCA (Committee for International Cooperation between Cotton Associations) and has established partnerships with other global cotton associations including the China Cotton Association, Bremen Baumwollboerse and the Gdynia Cotton Association.

The ICA has two primary functions (the ICA Bylaws and Rules and an arbitration service) and it provides support facilities that include training, trade events, networking forums and cotton testing through a joint venture company (ICA Bremen).

The Bylaws and Rules were created in 1863 to regulate the sale and purchase of raw cotton. They can be applied to contracts covering the purchase and sale of cotton between any two companies anywhere in the world. They are updated in line with current industry practice and are published in a variety of languages.

If cotton is traded under ICA Bylaws and Rules, parties have the right to apply for ICA arbitration in the event of a contract dispute. The service is impartial and internationally recognised. ICA arbitration awards can be enforced in foreign courts under international law, following an agreement made in New York on 10 June 1958 (The Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards).

In 2011, the ICA’s archive collection was catalogued and re-housed at the Liverpool Record Office. Described by Dr Tony Webster, Head of History at Liverpool John Moores University, as "one of the most valuable business resources in the city", the collection contains the history of the evolution of the ICA and the cotton industry. The complete collection from 1798 to 2004 is available online as part of the archive catalogue at the Liverpool Record Office. An abridged version appears below:

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