- Who we are
- What we do
-
-
-
-
In just over 10 years we have become the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
-
-
-
- Where we grow
-
-
-
-
Better Cotton is grown in 22 countries around the world and accounts for 22% of global cotton production. In the 2022-23 cotton season, 2.13 million licensed Better Cotton Farmers grew 5.47 million tonnes of Better Cotton.
-
-
-
- Our impact
- Membership
-
-
Today Better Cotton has more than 2,700 members, reflecting the breadth and diversity of the industry. Members of a global community that understands the mutual benefits of sustainable cotton farming. The moment you join, you become part of this too.
-
-
- Associate Membership
- Civil Society Membership
- Producer Organisation Membership
- Retailer and Brand Membership
- Supplier and Manufacturer Membership
- Find Members
- Member Monitoring
- Better Cotton Platform
- myBetterCotton
- Resources – Better Cotton Conference 2022
- Complaints
- Whistleblowing
- Safeguarding
- Get Involved in the Better Cotton Programme
- Thank you for contacting us
- Better Cotton’s Data Privacy Policy
- Log in
- Members’ Area
- Request for Proposals
- Better Cotton Cookie Policy
- Web Reference
- Measuring Cotton Consumption
- How to Implement the Chain of Custody Standard
- Resources – Better Cotton Conference 2023
- Certification Bodies
- Latest
-
-
- Sourcing
- Latest
-
-
-
-
The founding premise of Better Cotton is that a healthy sustainable future for cotton and the people that farm it is in the interests of everyone connected with it.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Let us help you find what you’re looking for
Results for {phrase} ({results_count} of {results_count_total})Displaying {results_count} results of {results_count_total}
-
-
Over 300 representatives from across the cotton supply chain – from farmers to retailers and brands – met in Shanghai on 12 and 13 June for the 2019 Global Cotton Sustainability Conference. The conference, hosted by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), brought the sector together to collaborate on a more sustainable future for cotton. Here are some conference highlights.
Farmer stories
Smallholder cotton farmers from India, Pakistan and China, and large-scale cotton farmers from Australia, Brazil, China and South Africa took to the stage to share their personal stories from the field. From making homemade natural pesticides (derived from ingredients found in nature), to embracing the latest technological innovations to improve water-use efficiency, BCI Farmers are striving to make cotton production more sustainable.
”Inspiring presentations from inspiring farmers.” –Brooke Summers, Supply Chain Consultant, Cotton Australia.
Collaboration across standards
It’s important that different cotton sustainability programmes and standards work together to drive real change in the sector. Representatives from Fairtrade Foundation, Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), Cotton Australia, ABRAPA, Cotton made in Africa, Textile Exchange, BCI and ISEAL came together at the conference to share their insights on capacity building and field-level impacts. Each of these organisations also contributed to the development of the conference agenda.
”It was great to see a panel of different cotton sustainability standards speaking together about what they have in common, as well as what makes each of them unique.” – Charlene Collison, Associate DirectorofSustainable Value Chainsand Livelihoods, Forum for the Future.
Knowledge sharing
Throughout the conference, attendees joined industry experts to take part in hands-on, interactive sessions covering timelyfield-level, supply-chain and consumer-facing topics. Participants explored subjects such as adapting to a warmer world, the value of raw cotton, challenges faced by women in agriculture, and how to engage consumers on sustainability.
Celebrating BCI’s founding members
2019 marks BCI’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate, BCI gave recognition to the members who were amongst BCI’s first membership base and have been committed to BCI for the past decade: ABRAPA, adidas AG, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Association des Producteurs de Coton Africains (AProCA), CottonConnect, Cotton Incorporated, Ecom Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd., Farmers Associates of Pakistan, Federation of Migros Cooperatives, Hemtex AB, Hennes & Mauritz AB, IFC, IKEA Supply AG, KappAhl Sverige AB, Levi Strauss & Co., Lindex AB, Marks & Spencer, Nike, Inc., Pesticide Action Network UK, Sadaqat Ltd., Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd., Solidaridad, Textile Exchange and WWF.
If you were at the 2019 conference, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please share your thoughts in this short survey.
Thanks to all of the presenters, panellists and participants, the 2019 Global Cotton Sustainability Conference was a great success. We look forward to seeing everyone in Lisbon, Portugal in June 2020.