In 1991, cotton became the first Australian agricultural industry to conduct a full external examination of its environmental performance. This marked the first industry-wide commitment to improved sustainability of cotton production in Australia. Each decade since, the industry has re-committed to reviewing its environmental performance by commissioning an independent assessment. Environmental assessments in 2003 and 2012 have recognised the cotton industry’s achievements and driven further improvements. In response to the 2012 assessment, the industry made a public commitment to continue to undertake environmental assessments every decade. At the same time, the industry committed to five yearly progress reporting against agreed sustainability indicators and targets, which are aligned with the globally recognised United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). GHD Pty Ltd (GHD) was engaged by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) to complete the Fourth Environmental Assessment of the Australian Cotton Industry. The recommendations from the assessment will be used to inform decisions for the industry to: x Target its investments to deliver improved environmental outcomes x Work with growers to continually improve environmental outcomes in cotton production x Demonstrate responsiveness to community and stakeholder expectations on the impact of the industry on the environment. The Fourth Environmental Assessment of the Australian Cotton Industry was undertaken between October 2021 and October 2022 and covers the period since the Third Environmental Assessment, being 2013-2022. The delivery of the project was overseen by a Project Steering Committee (PSC) from CRDC and Cotton Australia, and the industry’s Sustainability Working Group (SWG), which comprises membership from CRDC, Cotton Australia, CottonInfo, myBMP, the Australian Cotton Shippers Association and industry growers.