As demand for Better Cotton – cotton grown by licensed BCI Farmers in line with the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria – increases, more and more organisations throughout the cotton supply chain are joining the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and supporting increased uptake of Better Cotton*. Earlier in the year, we announced the BCI Retailer and Brand Members that sourced the largest volumes of cotton as Better Cotton in 2018. Now we are launching the Cotton Merchants and Mills Leaderboard.
The Merchants and Mills Leaderboard highlights the top 20 cotton merchants and top 50 mills, based on volumes of cotton sourced as Better Cotton. Access the 2018 Better Cotton Leaderboard.
Cotton merchants and mills are supporting the transformation of the cotton sector by joining BCI and sourcing increased volumes of Better Cotton for BCI Retailer and Brand Members – forming a critical link between Better Cotton supply and demand.
”Market demand for more sustainable cotton has dramatically increased over the years. It began with a few retailers sourcing more sustainable cotton in limited quantities for small collections. Over time, retailers have grown their collections and implemented overarching sustainable sourcing targets which has increased the volumes of more sustainable cotton sourced, including Better Cotton. We see this demand increasing further over the next 5 to 10 years.” – Osman Ustundag,Cotton Purchasing Manager at Kipa≈ü Holding, a BCI Member since 2011.
Increased sourcing of Better Cotton generates essential funding for farmer training and support. This is in turn driving more sustainable practices in cotton production, making it better for the people who produce it and the environment it grows in. BCI has a goal to train five million cotton farmers on more sustainable practices by 2020. Find out more in the BCI 2018 Annual Report.
“With the creation of BCI in 2009, a holistic and pragmatic approach for farmers to embed sustainable farming practices was launched.Better Cotton addressed the gap that existed between retailers’ sustainable sourcing targets and market supply of more sustainably produced cotton. Using innovative models such as mass-balance during sourcing, the market now has access to alarge and growing supply base to procure from.”– Amit Shah, CEO and Founding Director at Spectrum International, a BCI Member since 2013. Amit Shah also holds the position of Treasurer on the BCI Council.
Find out which merchants and mills sourced the largest volumes of cotton as Better Cotton in the 2018 Better Cotton Leaderboard.
*Uptake refers to the sourcing and purchasing of more sustainable cotton in a supply chain. By “sourcing cotton as Better Cotton,’ BCI is referring to the action taken by members when they place orders for cotton-containing products. It does not refer to the cotton present in the finished product. BCI uses a chain of custody model called Mass Balance whereby volumes of Better Cotton are tracked on an online sourcing platform. Better Cotton may be mixed with or replaced by conventional cotton in its journey from field to product, however, the volumes of Better Cotton claimed by members on the online platform never exceeds the volumes physically procured by spinners and traders.
