myBetterCotton
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Audience: Consumers

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Audience: Consumers

Better Cotton Impact Targets: Q&A with Nisha Onta, Regional Coordinator for Asia at WOCAN

Better Cotton Impact Targets: Q&A with Nisha Onta, Regional Coordinator for Asia at WOCAN

Julia Thordsson on May 19, 2023

Photo Credit: BCI/Vibhor Yadav Location: Kodinar, Gujarat, India. 2019. Description: Cotton community harvesting cotton.
Photo Credit: Nisha Onta, WOCAN

Millions of women around the world dedicate their lives to cotton production, and yet their representation and contributions aren’t fairly reflected within the sector’s hierarchies.

It’s with this in mind that Better Cotton recently launched its 2030 Impact Target for Women’s Empowerment. Over the coming years, we aim to reach one million women in cotton with programmes and resources that promote equal farm decision-making, build climate resilience, or support improved livelihoods. What’s more, we commit to ensuring that 25% of field staff are women with the power to influence sustainable cotton production.

To achieve this, we’ll collaborate closely with leading organisations to create the environment for field-level change. Here, we speak to Nisha Onta, Regional Coordinator for Asia at WOCAN, to understand the topic’s complexities and obstacles preventing women from advancing their careers in cotton. Nisha is amongst four keynote speakers at this year’s Better Cotton Conference, taking place in Amsterdam from June 21.

Historically, what have been the barriers to access to training for women in sectors such as cotton farming? 

There are a lot of research findings which show that the major barrier for women to access training are time poverty, access to information and restrictions on mobility.

Time poverty simply means there is just not enough free time in the lives of women to add more training to their schedule. It is called the ‘triple burden’ of women. Women are responsible for productive, reproduction and communal roles. Therefore, in order to make sure we want to invite more women to train, organisers will have to provide childcare facilities, the timing of the training has to be reasonable for them and the training should address the triple burden so it is not adding to their already packed schedule of responsibilities.

Access to information is also critical, there are many instances that women are simply not aware of the availability of training or resources. Therefore, the usual mode of communication, such as sending training schedules to local representatives and news in the media might not reach the women we are trying to train. Perhaps using local women cooperatives and other mediums that are accessible to women could increase their participation.

Mobility issues can be due to cultural issues or simply the issue of infrastructure. If the training is scheduled for the evening but local safe transport is not available, for example. In some communities, women may not be allowed to travel to participate in trainings, then the organisers will have to use different strategies to convince the head of the households to give permission for the women to attend.

How influential will the provision of training for women be to increasing their representation in decision-making roles? 

Ensuring that there’s capacity for women to participate in decision-making is critical to increasing their representation. If the system is not designed to include women in leadership positions, no matter how much training is available, they’ll never have equal opportunities. Therefore, a systematic rethink is required to create the space for women to participate and influence the cotton sector they contribute so much to.

How important will support from organisations like Better Cotton be to enabling this shift within the sector? 

Organisations like Better Cotton can be catalysts to advance gender equality in the cotton sector. Better Cotton’s vast network touches millions of farmers around the world and this infrastructure will be important to driving changes at the field-level. Better Cotton’s Women’s Empowerment Impact Target will serve an important purpose to the sector if we’re to see women afforded the chances that have historically been set aside for men.

By 2030, what infrastructural changes would you like to see within agriculture to better support women? 

There needs to be the space for women to voice their opinion and influence the sector’s development through decision-making positions. There has to be more direct resources such as trainings, credit and grants for women led business.  These changes will inspire and impact future generations across agriculture and may also encourage the creation of more women-led businesses in the cotton value chain.

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What’s in Store For the Rest of 2023?

Julia Thordsson on March 30, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Morgan Ferrar. Location: Ratane village, Mecuburi District, Nampula Province. 2019. Cotton boll.

By Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton

Photo Credit: Jay Louvion. Headshot of Better Cotton CEO, Alan McClay in Geneva

Better Cotton made significant strides in 2022 towards our vision of a world where more sustainable cotton is the norm. From the unveiling of our new and improved reporting model to a record 410 new members joining in one year, we prioritised on-the-ground change and data-driven solutions. The development of our traceability system entered a new phase with the stage set for pilots to commence, and we secured funding of over 1 million EUR to continue our work for traceable Better Cotton.

We have continued this momentum into 2023, kicking the year off with our Programme Partner Meeting in Phuket, Thailand under the twin themes of climate change and smallholder livelihoods. Our commitment to knowledge sharing continued as we collaborated with ABRAPA, the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers, to organise an Integrated Pest Management workshop in Brazil in February, with the aim of sharing research and innovative initiatives regarding the control of pests and diseases in the cotton crop. We are committed to supporting all efforts to reduce pesticide use.

As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2023, we’ve been taking stock of the current sustainability landscape and mapping out how we can best use our resources and expertise at Better Cotton to address the challenges and opportunities on the horizon.

Welcoming a new wave of industry regulation and introducing Better Cotton traceability

2023 is an important year for sustainability as a growing set of regulations and legislation are being implemented around the world. From the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles to the European Commission’s initiative on substantiating green claims, consumers and lawmakers have wised up to ambiguous sustainability claims like ‘zero emissions’ or ‘eco-friendly’ and are taking steps to make sure claims are verified. At Better Cotton, we welcome any legislation that supports a green and just transition and recognises all progress on impact including at field level.

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Eugénie Bacher. Harran, Turkey, 2022. Cotton going through a ginning machine, Mehmet Kızılkaya Teksil.

In late-2023, following our supply chain mapping efforts, we will begin to roll out Better Cotton’s global traceability system. The system includes three new Chain of Custody models to physically track Better Cotton, an enhanced digital platform to record these movements, and a new claims framework which will give members access to a new Better Cotton ‘content mark’ for their products.

Our commitment to traceability will ensure Better Cotton Farmers, and particularly smallholders, can continue to access increasingly regulated markets, and we will drive significant growth in the volume of traceable Better Cotton. Over the coming years, we plan to create additional benefits for Better Cotton Farmers including local investment by providing direct connections with retailers, brands, and customers.

Optimising our approach and launching the remaining Better Cotton Impact Targets

In line with growing calls for evidence on sustainability claims, the European Commission has also issued new rules on corporate sustainability reporting. Most notably, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive came into force on 5 January 2023. This new directive introduces stronger reporting rules for companies operating in the EU and pushes for greater standardisation in reporting methodologies.

After more than 18 months of work, we announced a new and improved approach to our external reporting model at the end of 2022. This new model tracks progress over a multi-year timeframe and integrates new farm performance indicators aligned with the Delta Framework. In 2023, we will continue to share updates on this new approach in our Data & Impact blog series.

During the first half of 2023, we will also be launching the remaining four Impact Targets connected to our 2030 Strategy, focused onpesticide use (as mentioned above), women’s empowerment, soil health and smallholder livelihoods. These four new Impact Targets join our climate change mitigation target to complete our plan to make cotton better for the farmers who produce it and for all those who have a stake in the future of the sector, as well as for the environment. These progressive new metrics will allow better measurement and drive change across five key areas to ensure greater lasting economic, environmental and social benefits at the farm level for cotton-growing communities.

Unveiling our new Better Cotton Principles and Criteria

For the last two years, we have been revising the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria, which lay out the global definition of Better Cotton. As part of this revision, we are going further to integrate key components of regenerative agriculture, including core regenerative practices such as maximising crop diversity and soil cover while minimising soil disturbance, as well as adding a new principle on improving livelihoods.

We are nearing the end of our review process; on 7 February 2023, the draft P&C v.3.0 was officially approved for adoption by the Better Cotton Council. The new and improved Principles and Criteria are expected to be launched in the first half of 2023, followed by a transition year, and will come into full effect in the 2024-25 cotton season.

See you at the 2023 Better Cotton Conference

Last but not least, in 2023 we are looking forward to once again convening industry stakeholders at the 2023 Better Cotton Conference. This year’s conference will take place in Amsterdam (and virtually) on 21 and 22 June, exploring the most salient issues and opportunities in sustainable cotton production, building on some of the topics which we’ve discussed above. We are excited to gather our community and welcome as many of our stakeholders as possible at the conference. We hope to see you there.

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International Women’s Day 2023: How One Woman in India is Helping Female Better Cotton Farmers to Thrive

Joe Morphet on March 8, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton, Ashvini Shandi. Location: Hingla, Maharashtra, India. Description: Manisha during her field visits to Better Cotton farmers.

While women play a pivotal role in the cotton sector across the world, they are frequently held back by many forms of discrimination, leading to underrepresentation in decision-making, lower wages, less access to resources, limited mobility, increased threats of violence and other serious challenges.

Gender discrimination is a key issue in the cotton sector, which is why ensuring that all workers enjoy decent working conditions, with fair pay and equal opportunities for learning and progression, is a top priority for Better Cotton, laid out in our Principles and Criteria.

This year, in recognition of International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate those building workplaces where women can thrive. In order to do so, we spoke with Manisha Giri, a Producer Unit Manager (PUM) from India. Manisha has been driving change through her Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), an organisation that helps members to save costs, achieve fairer prices for their cotton, and develop new ways to boost their income. We sat down with her to learn about her experiences.

Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Manisha Giri, I am 28 years old, and I live in Palodi, a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. I have been working as a PUM with Better Cotton since 2021, having completed a BSc in Agriculture at the VNMKV University in Parbhani.

As a PUM, my responsibilities include planning, data monitoring, and solving challenges faced by Field Facilitators (FFs). I have oversight on FF training sessions, which are provided to both cotton farmers and cotton workers. I also cross-check with farmers and workers whether minimum wages are being duly paid, whether workers are being forced to work by farmers, whether they are facing any sort of discrimination, and whether there is any pay parity based on gender.

Do you feel like your workplace allows women to thrive?

When I joined, I wasn’t confident, I was always nervous and I questioned myself, as it is a big project. To help me, the Programme Partner team constantly gave examples of the many female Better Cotton staff members in the India team in order to motivate me. They always said that once women are determined to do something, they end up achieving it. When I see women around me fulfilling their personal responsibilities whilst working at a high level, it really motivates me.

What is your proudest achievement?

Getting women together and starting a FPO with them is something I am very proud of. This was a big achievement for me, as gathering women for training and collective action in villages is very difficult. Sometimes, even though the woman wants to participate, their families or husbands don’t allow them.

What other challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

We realised that organic carbon in our area was fast depleting and farmers had no livestock anymore, so we zeroed in on making compost for farmers in the FPO. We decided to start with vermicomposting, allowing us to promote sustainable agriculture. Now, 300 female Better Cotton farmers are working with the FPO, and we have reached a point where the demand is so high that we are falling short of vermi beds.

Photo credit: Better Cotton, Punam Ghatul. Location: Hingla, Maharashtra, India. Description: Picking is one of the most labour-intensive activities, done mostly by women. Manisha with farmers and workers are here engaged in this activity.

What did you learn from this experience?

As a working woman, I have my own identity even though when I am back home, I continue to take care of my family. I want women to go beyond being recognised as someone’s wife – perhaps eventually men will be recognised as someone’s husband.

What changes do you hope to see in the next ten years?

With the entrepreneurial training sessions that are being conducted, I had set myself a target of getting 32 entrepreneurs trained, and setting up five businesses. However, I have already achieved my three-year target in one year, setting up 30 businesses.

In the next ten years, I expect that people will use exclusively vermicompost, and we will contribute to slowing down climate change. Due to the decreased use of chemical pesticides and increased use of biopesticides, farmers will get increased yield with less expenditure.

I predict that we will have more female staff, and I envision women playing an integral part in decision-making. Women will come to us with ideas to expand their businesses, and they will become independent entrepreneurs.

Photo credit: Better Cotton, Vitthal Siral. Location: Hingla, Maharashtra, India. Description: Manisha with a field facilitator, conducting a training session with farmers on field.

Read more about Better Cotton’s work on women’s empowerment:

Fields of Change: Making Cotton Work Better for Women 
Media Coverage Strategy gender equality international women’s day women's empowerment
Why We Made Gender Equality a Cross-cutting Priority in Our Latest Principles and Criteria Revision
Principles & Criteria gender equality principles & criteria women's empowerment
International Women’s Day 2023: How One Woman in India is Helping Female Better Cotton Farmers to Thrive
Field-Level Results & Impacts General gender equality gender strategy women's empowerment
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Better Cotton Welcomed Record Number of New Members in 2022

Julia Thordsson on February 28, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Seun Adatsi. Location: Kolondieba, Mali. 2019. Description: Freshly-picked cotton.

Despite a challenging economic environment, Better Cotton saw a significant increase in support in 2022 as it welcomed 410 new members, a record for Better Cotton. Today, Better Cotton is proud to count more than 2,500 members representing the entire cotton sector as part of our community.  

74 of the 410 new members are Retailer and Brand Members, who play a vital role in creating demand for more sustainable cotton. The new Retailer and Brand Members come from 22 countries – such as Poland, Greece, South Korea, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and more – highlighting the organisation’s global reach and the demand for change across the cotton sector. In 2022, the Better Cotton sourced by 307 Retailer and Brand Members represented 10.5% of world cotton, demonstrating the relevance of the Better Cotton approach to systemic change.

We are delighted to have 410 new members joining Better Cotton during 2022, showing recognition of the importance of Better Cotton’s approach to achieving transformation in the sector. These new members demonstrate their support for our efforts and commitment to our mission.

Paula Lum Young Bautil, Director of Membership and Supply Chain, Better Cotton

Members fall within five key categories: civil society, producer organisations, suppliers and manufacturers, retailers and brands and associate members. No matter the category, members are aligned on the benefits of sustainable farming and are committed to the Better Cotton vision of a world where more sustainable cotton is the norm and farming communities thrive.  

Below, read what a few of these new members think about joining Better Cotton:  

Through our social purpose platform, Mission Every One, Macy’s, Inc. is committed to creating a more equitable and sustainable future for all. Better Cotton’s mission of promoting better standards and practices within the cotton industry is integral to our goal of achieving 100% preferred materials in our private brands by 2030.

Macy’s US

JCPenney is firmly committed to providing high-quality, affordable and responsibly sourced products for our customers. As a proud member of Better Cotton, we hope to drive industry-wide sustainable practices that improve lives and livelihoods around the world and further our mission of serving America’s diverse, working families. Our partnership with Better Cotton will better enable us to meet our customers’ expectations and deliver on our sustainable fiber goals.

JCPenney, US

Joining Better Cotton was important to Officeworks to promote responsible sourcing and help transform the global cotton industry, both from a human rights and an environmental perspective. As part of our People and Planet Positive 2025 commitments, we are committed to sourcing goods and services in more sustainable and responsible ways, including sourcing 100% of our cotton as Better Cotton, organic cotton, Australian cotton or recycled cotton for our Officeworks private label products by 2025.

Officeworks, Australia

As part of our All Blue sustainability strategy, we aim to expand our sustainable product collection and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. At Mavi, we prioritise not harming nature during production and ensuring that all of our All Blue design choices are sustainable. Our Better Cotton membership will help to raise awareness among our customers and within our own ecosystem. Better Cotton, with its social and environmental benefits, is included in Mavi’s definition of sustainable cotton and supports Mavi’s sustainability goals.

Mavi, Turkey

Learn more about Better Cotton Membership.   

Interested in becoming a member? Apply on our website or get in touch with our team at [email protected]. 

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Better Cotton Conference Registration Opens: Early Bird Tickets Available

Julia Thordsson on February 16, 2023

We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2023 Better Cotton Conference is now open!    

The conference will be hosted in a hybrid format with both virtual and in-person options for you to choose from. Join us as we bring the global cotton community together once again. 

Date: 21-22 June 2023  
Location: Felix Meritis, Amsterdam, Netherlands or join us online 

Register now and take advantage of our exclusive early-bird ticket prices.

Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and experts to explore the most salient issues in sustainable cotton production such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, traceability, livelihoods and regenerative agriculture.

In addition, we’re delighted to host a Welcome Reception in the evening of Tuesday 20 June and a Conference Networking Dinner on Wednesday 21 June.  

Don’t wait – early bird registration ends on Wednesday 15 March. Register now and be a part of the 2023 Better Cotton Conference. We look forward to seeing you there! 

For more details, please visit the Better Cotton Conference website.

Register

Sponsorship Opportunities

Thank you to all of our 2023 Better Cotton Conference sponsors!  

We have a number of sponsorship opportunities available, from supporting cotton farmers’ travel to the event, to sponsoring the conference dinner.

Please contact Events Manager Annie Ashwell at [email protected] to find out more. 

The 2022 Better Cotton Conference brought together 480 participants, 64 speakers and 49 nationalities.
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What Is Soil Health? Better Cotton Launches New Soil Health Series

Joe Morphet on February 23, 2022

Soil is quite literally the foundation of farming. Without it, we could neither grow cotton nor support our growing global population. We know first-hand at Better Cotton that improved soil health can enhance productivity and yields, which also directly improves farmer incomes. Not only that, but many soil health management practices are also climate change mitigation measures. These measures stand to make a big impact when considering that global soils contain more carbon than vegetation and the atmosphere combined.

That’s why soil health is one of five impact targets that we are developing at Better Cotton as part of our 2030 Strategy, and an area we will be focusing our attention on over the coming weeks.

In our new Soil Health Series, we’re exploring the wonderful and complex universe beneath our feet, looking at why good soil health is so important and what Better Cotton, our partners and Better Cotton Farmers are doing to support healthy soils and the future of sustainable agriculture.

To kick off the series, we outline the five key factors that impact soil health. Learn more in the video above.

Look out for more content over the coming weeks, or visit our soil health webpage to learn more.

Learn more about Better Cotton and soil health

Take a look at the 2030 Strategy
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Transformers Foundation Report Looks at Cotton Myths and Misinformation

Joe Woodruff on October 8, 2021

A new report published by Transformers Foundation investigates the use – and misuse – of data on the sustainability of the cotton sector, and aims to equip brands, journalists, NGOs, consumers, suppliers and others with the skills and understanding to use data accurately and transparently.

The report, Cotton: A Case Study in Misinformation debunks some of the commonly-shared ‘facts’ about cotton and textile production, such as the idea that cotton is an inherently ‘thirsty crop’, or the amount of water required to create a t-shirt. It also addresses commonly-cited claims about the use of pesticides in cotton farming. In both cases – water and pesticides – the report aims to provide current and accurate claims along with advice on how to use them without misleading audiences.

Damien Sanfilippo, Better Cotton’s Senior Director, Programmes contributed to the report and is quoted throughout:

“Everybody has an interest in data. And that’s good, because it means that everybody has an interest in sustainable development. But using data correctly is a skill. Right? And it needs to be done in a scientific manner.”

Damien Sanfilippo, Senior Director, Programmes at Better Cotton

The authors end with a set of calls-to-action, including to:

  • Send in information and new data to the foundation
  • Make data about environmental impacts open-source and publicly available
  • Co-invest in filling in data gaps
  • Establish a global fashion fact-checker

Read the report here.

Transformers Foundation ‘represents the denim supply chain: from farmers and chemical suppliers to denim mills and jeans factories’.

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