Will your next pair of cotton jeans be made with hydroponics and AI?
That’s the vision shared by Spanish hydroponic-farming company Magtech and H&M Group’s Circular Innovation Lab. The organizations are working together to scale soil-free cotton production.
Martin Ekenbark, Circular Innovation Lab lead at H&M Group, said the process can address many of the challenges associated with conventional cotton production, including its use of water, nutrients and pesticides, as well as arable land that could otherwise be used to grow food.
The project explores how hydroponic growing—which grows crops in water instead of soil—and AI can reduce cotton’s reliance on these resources. When cotton is grown hydroponically, the plant’s roots sit in circulating water and are fed a controlled nutrient mix. Plants are grown under net structures and water is recovered and reused.
The process is also adaptable, meaning brands can develop local supply chains. “You can basically set this up in a car park, on a rooftop, even in the desert. As long as there’s sun and a reasonable source of water,” Ekenbark said.
While previous trials by HKRITA and Materra have explored soilless and controlled-environment cotton, H&M Foundation said those efforts have mostly shown what’s technically possible, rather than how hydroponic cotton can become a scalable alternative to costly conventional growing.
“One hectare of our system contains approximately 30,600 plants distributed across 52 growing channels, each about 98 meters long. Walking those channels once means covering more than five kilometers. A skilled technician can inspect the crop, but no person can observe every plant continuously or maintain the same frequency and consistency at larger scales,” said David René Rodríguez, Magtech co-founder.
Magtech and Circular Innovation Lab use AI-driven monitoring to improve efficiency and resource use. For example, cameras assess crop ripeness and detect infestations early, allowing pesticides to be applied only to plants that need treatment. Additionally, the project’s closed-loop water system prevents nutrients from washing into nearby rivers, where runoff from conventional cotton production can contribute to eutrophication.
“We’re not claiming zero impact or trying to replace conventional cotton. The goal is to demonstrate, quantify and independently validate a complementary way to grow it. One that works where water is scarce, fertile land is limited, or the textile industry is close by,” Rodríguez said.
He added that hydroponic systems will still need growers, agronomists and technicians, and existing farm workers can be trained for these roles. “Cotton supports the livelihoods of millions of farmers and workers, so any transition has to take social outcomes as seriously as environmental and economic ones,” Rodríguez said.
The hydroponically grown cotton has already left the lab. The first five-tonne batch passed quality checks and has been turned into garments in Spain. The partners plan to set up a second hydroponic site in India.
