COP29: Our Key Takeaways From Azerbaijan

In November 2024, a delegation from Better Cotton travelled to Azerbaijan to take part in the first-ever Standards Pavilion at COP29. This pavilion, initiated by ISO, allowed us to showcase how sustainability standards promote accountability, drive climate action, and unify efforts across sectors.

In Baku, we flew the flag for standards as essential climate solutions, and used our platform to urge global leaders to place farming communities at the centre of climate action. We promoted these messages through a range of dialogues, from bilateral meetings, to panel and soapbox discussions we hosted at the Standards Pavilion, to a formal ministerial participation at the Azerbaijan Pavilion on the country’s cotton sector.  

These discussions were led by three of our colleagues: Jannis Bellinghausen, Director of Standards Certification and MEL; Lars Van Doremalen, Impact Director; and Hélène Bohyn, Policy and Advocacy Manager. As COP29 draws to a close, we caught up with them to hear about their experiences in Baku, and the key lessons they will take away from the conference.

Hélène Bohyn

Expectations were low for COP29, but the outcome leaves a bittersweet aftertaste nonetheless. Fossil fuel lobbyists were present in large numbers, while social and climate justice defenders were kept away. We are still far from achieving the ‘just transition’ promised to the Global South.

Despite this, I remain hopeful and grateful for the opportunity to participate in this global event, which brought together thousands of knowledgeable, committed, and inspiring individuals and organisations. Progress has been made since the Paris Agreement, particularly in renewable energy investments and climate finance, which are promising signs.

Our participation in the Standards Pavilion was a positive experience, and I appreciated how this pavilion was aligned with the values of integrity and collaboration that we uphold at Better Cotton. 

In Baku, we hosted two well-received public sessions incorporating CSO and corporate perspectives, and attended a workshop to build a unified narrative on the role of international standards in climate action. Our discussion on the climate impact of synthetic vs natural fibres was a big success, triggering interest from other sustainability standards in joining the Make the Label Count coalition, which advocates for accurate labelling to empower consumers to make informed, sustainable choices. I’d like to thank the Australian National Farmers’​ Federation (NFF) and Man Friday Consultancy for their thoughtful contributions to the discussion.

An encouraging takeaway from COP29 is the extent to which farmers and their challenges were the focus of events at the conference. Yet at the same time, the absence of farmers’ voices in the negotiations and the lack of attention to smallholders’ issues in the core text is concerning.  

The pressure to achieve significant outcomes at COP30 remains high, and preparations for Belém are already underway. The question now is how we will contribute to that next chapter.

Jannis Bellinghausen

My experience at COP29 was marked by a mix of urgency, optimism and concern.

While the venue bustled with diverse perspectives, there were growing questions about the forum’s effectiveness from civil society voices. It was eye-opening to see the figures on how industrial countries continue to spend significantly more on subsidising fossil fuels and managing natural disasters than on proactively addressing climate change or adaptation.

On the other side of the coin, there was also emphasis on positive developments. Renewable energy is growing faster than ever, and China’s emissions seem to have reached a tipping point this year.

Personally, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion exploring the potential for Azerbaijan to join the Better Cotton programme. Alongside representatives from the Azerbaijan Ministry of Agriculture, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, UzTextile Association and Prime Cotton, I highlighted the need to comply with all of the criteria defined in Better Cotton’s New Country Start-Up process. It was a highly engaging session, and I’m excited about the potential for collaboration.

The Standards Pavilion was a major hub of activity, and I was immersed in discussions on the role of standards in addressing sustainability challenges throughout my time there. Key topics included boosting climate resilience, empowering communities to adapt to climate change, and bridging the digital divide, with each session sparking valuable discussions.

Lars Van Doremalen

On the last day of COP, I left a meeting where everything was boiled down to one key takeaway – paying a fairer price. A wonderful simplification, but one that showcases the distance the conference often has from our economic models. We must do more to make our model work for the climate, which will mean a complex web of increased prices for farmers and moving both natural and social costs out of the shadows and into our economy.

Countries have such a vast array of tools at their disposal, so I am sad this conference got stuck on the big number instead of all the different ways we can reach it. Our farmers care about a business model that works for both their environment and their income; if anything, the participants at COP could still learn from this.

Despite this, I do leave the conference upbeat. COP has grown much bigger than just the negotiations, and the side events provided great learnings, from FAO reports on the investments required for agricultural sectors, to steering multilateral finance flows towards climate solutions and ensuring gender equality across the board.

I’m proud that our sessions contributed to amplifying farmer voices, with Solidaridad and Artistic Milliners providing invaluable insights on the role of community engagement and inclusivity in centring farmers in climate strategies. 

Lastly, it was great to connect with several organisations and I look especially forward to working with the UNCTAD on improving financial flows to farmer cooperative models. This has the potential to massively impact farmer livelihoods and help them adapt to climate change.

If you’d like to watch the sessions that we hosted at the COP29 Standards Pavilion – with Hélène as the moderator and organiser – head to the links below.

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