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Better Cotton Revolutionises Cotton Sector with Traceability Solution

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Better Cotton Revolutionises Cotton Sector with Traceability Solution

Joe Morphet on November 2, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Eugénie Bacher. Harran, Turkey, 2022. Better Cotton bales, Mehmet Kızılkaya Tekstil.
  • Better Cotton represents more than one fifth of global cotton production, enabling traceable cotton to be delivered at scale
  • Traceability will provide retailers and brands with improved visibility of their supply chains
  • Marks & Spencer and Walmart – in addition to more than 1,500 organisations – were consulted and informed the solution’s development
  • Traceable Better Cotton will lead to the launch of an Impact Marketplace, allowing retailers and brands to offer cotton farmers financial rewards

Better Cotton has today officially launched a first-of-its-kind traceability solution for the fashion and textile sectors. 

The solution has been developed over three years and will provide visibility of cotton’s journey through the supply chain by logging stakeholder input on the Better Cotton Platform. 

The organisation has worked closely with a network of member retailers and brands, including H&M Group, Marks & Spencer, Walmart, Target, Bestseller, Gap Inc and C&A, to ensure that fashion companies can accurately trace and disclose the origin of raw materials, and comply with emerging regulations.   

Companies are now increasingly expected to verify the origin of the raw materials within their products and leverage improved transparency to address the potential adverse effects of their activities on human rights and the environment.  

Traceable Better Cotton will give member retailers and brands confidence that they are sourcing product from a specific country, and establish greater supply chain visibility, enabling them to incorporate insights into their own supply chain due diligence activities.  

In the coming years, Better Cotton will scale the availability and sourcing granularity of traceable Better Cotton to: 

  • serve as the foundation for an Impact Marketplace that would compensate farmers for field-level progress; 
  • enable country-level Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to calculate the environmental impact of Better Cotton in relation to conventional cotton;  
  • provide credible consumer and business-facing claims. 

Traceable Better Cotton is defined as the ‘physical’ Better Cotton within a cotton-containing product that has been tracked through the supply chain. It differs from Better Cotton’s long-standing Mass Balance Chain of Custody model, which tracks the volume of cotton produced and ensures this never exceeds the volume of cotton sold. 

Better Cotton launched a Chain of Custody Standard earlier this year, outlining requirements that suppliers wishing to trade traceable cotton must comply with.  

Using the Better Cotton Platform – operated by the software company ChainPoint – suppliers will log transactional information, culminating in visibility of where Better Cotton has originated from and how much is within a product. Traceability will span the cotton ginning stage right through to the retailer or brand. 

Traceability at scale for cotton will drive a seismic shift within our industry’s supply chains. Better Cotton’s traceability solution is poised to help the industry deliver that shift. Never before has transparency been as imperative as it is now to our retail and brand members. We’re grateful to every organisation that has helped shape the development of the Better Cotton Platform and stand committed to its constant improvement.

Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer, Better Cotton

At M&S, 100% of the cotton we source for our clothing comes from more responsible sources, however, across the industry the global supply chain remains particularly complex. Since 2021, we have been proud partners working with Better Cotton to improve the traceability of cotton and we’re delighted to be able to be part of this first-of-its kind solution which will enable us to track our cotton at scale along the supply chain.

Katharine Beacham, Head of Materials and Sustainability at Marks & Spencer

To find out more about traceability, click here
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Better Cotton Convenes Stakeholders in Pakistan To Put an End to Child Labour in Agriculture

Joe Morphet on October 25, 2023

Photo credit: Search For Justice. Location: Lahore, Pakistan, 2023. Description: Mr. Iftikhar Mubarik, the Executive Director of Search for Justice, speaks at child labour prevention workshop.

As we strive to promote decent work for cotton farming communities, Better Cotton is committed to creating safe and healthy working environments, free of child labour and forced labour. In Lahore, Pakistan, we recently organised a multi-stakeholder workshop in collaboration with our knowledge partner Search For Justice, in order to map out the key barriers to eliminating child labour in the country.

Search For Justice is a non-profit organisation working on child protection issues in Pakistan. Better Cotton developed a partnership with the organisation through our Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) in order to support our Programme Partner, Rural Education and Economic Development Society (REEDS), in preventing child labour in the Rahim Yar Khan district in Pakistan.

During the workshop, held in August, government and private sector representatives engaged in dialogue around the legal framework for child labour prevention and elimination in the agricultural sector in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The discussions explored the causes of child labour, including social and economic factors such as the low cost of employing children and the financial pressures on families caused by persistently high inflation, along with the threat of bonded labour in the agriculture sector which also hampers children from attending schools.

Photo credit: Search For Justice. Location: Lahore, Pakistan, 2023. Description: Ms. Shaista Narjis, representing REEDS, discussing the challenges encountered during their fieldwork related to child labour in cotton farming.
Photo credit: Search For Justice. Location: Lahore, Pakistan, 2023. Description: Mr. Umer Iqbal, on behalf of Better Cotton, explains the locally adopted child labour guidelines that all partners must follow when participating in cotton cultivation.

The representative from Punjab’s Provincial Government Labour and Human Resource Department explained that the province’s child labour law currently has limited applicability for the agricultural sector, as it is restricted to formal agricultural establishments. However, they highlighted that government efforts have already begun to bring the broad agricultural sector under the ambit of existing child labour law, The Punjab Labour Policy 2018, which is currently the most relevant guiding document on the issue.

They also outlined government commitments in three priority areas for legislation of the informal sector: domestic labour, home-based workers and the agricultural sector. Labour legislation has already been introduced in the former two sectors, while efforts have been initiated for labour in the agricultural sector. In this respect, further support and cooperation was requested of Better Cotton, as a specialised agriculture sustainability stakeholder.

Discussions also emphasised the importance of community awareness campaigns, and the need to address child labour comprehensively through education and empowerment initiatives. Establishing schools in underserved areas and improving birth registration can be vital in improving the child labour situation in agriculture, particularly in cotton farming.

Looking forward, the workshop participants agreed that they were on track to start policy dialogues which could help extend the coverage of the existing child labour legislation in Punjab to the broader agricultural sector. Better Cotton will continue to engage stakeholders to advocate for systemic change in this region.

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Large Farm Symposium: Three Key Takeaways

Joe Morphet on October 16, 2023

By Alvaro Moreira, Senior Manager, Large Farm Programmes and Partnerships at Better Cotton

Photo credit: Dennis Bouman/Better Cotton. Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2023. Description: Alvaro Moreira, Better Cotton.

On 11 October, we hosted the Better Cotton Large Farm Symposium, bringing together growers and partners from six continents to hear success stories from the field and discuss what’s needed to bring about real change.

The symposium kicked off with a keynote address from John Kempf, Founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture and the host of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, who discussed his work studying crop nutrition and collaborating with regenerative cotton growers and researchers.

This was followed by a series of case studies from around the world. Adam Kay, CEO of Cotton Australia; Dr John Bradley, Owner and Operator at Spring Valley Farms in Tennessee; and Ilkhom Khaydarov, Chairman of the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association, shared their experiences in key topics such as water use, tillage and supply chain transparency.

We closed out the event with interactive breakout sessions, where participants got to share and discuss obstacles to the adoption of sustainable farming practices, and ways to meet these challenges.

The event was full of useful insights, and it was great to hear a huge range of perspectives from farmers around the world. Here are my top three takeaways from the sessions:

Optimise plant health and yield will follow

Credit: John Kempf, Advancing Eco Agriculture. Description: Key points from John’s presentation during the Better Cotton Large Farm Symposium.

Discussing his experiences across various agricultural sectors including cotton, John Kempf called for a shift in farmers’ mindsets when it comes to plant health. He stressed that farmers should not make yield their primary focus, but instead prioritise plant health first. As he explained, when you prioritise nutrition, yield increases will automatically follow.

In his experience, understanding plant nutrient needs during different phases of growth and introducing nutrition controls can lead to significant and rapid yield responses; in the first year of experimenting with sap analysis in cotton plants, he witnessed a 40-70% overall yield increase. This also led to a significant decrease in the use of fertilisers and pesticides.

Despite differing contexts, key challenges are universal

Across the case studies and breakout discussions, it became clear that while specific cotton-growing contexts may differ, there are many common issues shared across countries.

  • When discussing the barriers to introducing new sustainable practices, a number of key challenges came up again and again, including:
  • The need to minimise risk and the fear of the unknown
  • A lack of financial incentives and human resources available to adopt new technologies and techniques
  • Limited access to technical support, even where the technology is available

With limited resources, farmers need to understand and prioritise barriers in order to overcome them.

Bringing farmers together to drive the adoption of sustainable practices

To overcome these challenges, demonstrating and sharing results at large-scale is key. Networks, partnerships and collaborations, including stronger connections to markets, drive new and innovative sustainable farming practices.

In many cases, farmers are doing the right things, but maybe at the wrong time or with inefficient equipment. Small changes can make significant yield impacts, and it can sometimes be easier for third parties, including their peers, to uncover new insights on how to improve agronomic management.

The active participation we saw during the symposium shows that there’s a lot of interest in this convening approach. By uniting farmers with experts who are immersed in efforts to improve cotton farming practices and improve environmental outcomes, we hope to support growers in overcoming the obstacles they face so that cotton communities can survive and thrive.

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Better Cotton and IDH Event Explores Scalability of Regenerative Agriculture

Joe Morphet on October 16, 2023

Photo credit: IDH. Location, New Delhi, India, 2023. Description: Panel discussion at AgriClimate Nexus: Food, Fibre and Regeneration for Sustainable Growth in India event.
  • Farmer organisations, state officials and regulatory authorities support bid to scale regenerative agricultural practices in India.
  • Cross-commodity partners to form network to drive collaborative change.
  • India’s agricultural sector employs almost half (46%) of the country’s workforce.

Better Cotton and IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, last week hosted an event in New Delhi, India, to build consensus on the scope and merits of regenerative agriculture, as well as to identify opportunities for action across policy, business, finance, and research.

The event – ‘AgriClimate Nexus: Food, Fibre and Regeneration for Sustainable Growth in India’ – brought together participants from farming communities, private sector, civil society and government to collaborate, share insights, and drive meaningful progress towards a sustainable and regenerative agricultural future that would protect the environment and improve the livelihoods of millions of small farming communities involved in the production of food and fibre crops in India.

Discussions at the event explored the scope for cross-commodity collaboration to some of India’s most pressing environmental and socio-economic issues – such as addressing issues of climate change by sequestering carbon in the soil, preventing soil degradation & water scarcity, and the loss of biodiversity, thereby enhancing food security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and restoring ecosystems.

Jyoti Narain Kapoor, Director of Better Cotton’s India Programme; Saleena Pookunju, Better Cotton’s Capacity Building Manager in India; and Emma Dennis, Better Cotton’s Senior Manager, Global Impact, were amongst those in attendance.

Scaling the use of regenerative agricultural practices will be important to farming communities globally if they’re to ensure their operations are resilient in the face of climate change. This convening will go a long way in strengthening cross-commodity relations and aligning organizations committed to supporting this cause.

Jyoti Narain Kapoor, Director of Better Cotton’s India Programme

Almost one million farmers across India have Better Cotton licences, many of which are smallholders operating on areas of land no bigger than two hectares.

Through this event, we aspire to create a dynamic, multi-sectoral network and mobilize stakeholders towards a more sustainable and regenerative future for agriculture in India. In this, it is paramount that each stakeholder group considers the role they can play to make this a reality.

Pramit Chanda, Global Director Textiles & Manufacturing, IDH

Better Cotton works from the core idea of regenerative agriculture that farming can give back to, rather than take from, nature and society. Better Cotton’s approach to regenerative agriculture puts a strong emphasis on connections between people and nature, highlighting the two-way dependency between sustainable farming practices and sustainable livelihoods. The scope for regenerative approaches to both reduce emissions and sequester carbon is significant, and of key importance in this approach.

Earlier this year, Better Cotton updated its Principles & Criteria (P&C). The revised standard includes regenerative practices which are relevant in all cotton-growing countries, such as maximising crop diversity, minimising soil disturbance and maximising soil cover.

The organisation is exploring the potential of an additional licence level that would focus on regenerative practices and create both funding and market opportunities. It is identifying suitable partners that can complement these efforts and drive collective change at field-level.

Better Cotton’s 2030 Impact Targets – launched in April – underpin its commitment to action, including a ‘soil health’ goal of ensuring 100% of Better Cotton Farmers improve the health of their soil.

As next steps, IDH and Better Cotton have committed to continuing to engage in cross-commodity multi-stakeholder dialogue on regenerative agriculture, drawing participation from businesses and organisations across the food and fashion industries, as well as other key groups such as government entities, civil society organisations, academia, and the financial sector. A common framework and enabling environment will be crucial in advancing discussions on regenerative agriculture across policy, finance, and industry, and would support Better Cotton’s ambitions to work more with partners on this important area of work.

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World Cotton Day: Abdoul Aziz Yanogo Discusses Better Cotton’s Programme in Egypt With Cotton Outlook

Joe Morphet on October 9, 2023

Photo Credit: Magued Makram/UNIDO Egypt. Location: Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt, 2019. Description: Demonstration of Egyptian Cotton fibre quality during cotton harvest celebration.
Photo credit: Abdoul Aziz Yanogo

Last week, we shared the news that Better Cotton and Cotton Egypt Association (CEA) had hosted a multi-stakeholder event in Cairo to celebrate the launch of our renewed strategic partnership in Egypt, aiming to further enhance the yields and sustainability credentials of Egyptian cotton while ensuring fair working conditions for farmers and workers.

In honour of World Cotton Day 2023, which was celebrated across the world on 7 October, Abdoul Aziz Yanogo, our Regional Manager for West Africa, sat down with Cotton Outlook to discuss the partnership.

In his Q&A with Cotton Outlook, Abdoul Aziz gives an overview of the programme and the key developments over the past few years, including:
• The challenges of starting the programme during the Covid-19 pandemic
• The recent renewal of Better Cotton and CEA’s strategic partnership
• The expected volumes of licensed Better Cotton for the 2023/24 season, which are estimated to represent around 10% of Egyptian cotton

The article features in the publication’s 2023 World Cotton Day Special Feature, which highlights some of the innovations being implemented across the globe to improve the sustainability and efficiency of cotton production and processing.

To read the full Q&A with Abdoul Aziz, along with the rest of Cotton Outlook’s World Cotton Day publication, please click here. To check out the other pieces that Better Cotton published in celebration of World Cotton Day 2023, head to this link.

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Better Cotton and Cotton Egypt Association Celebrate Renewed Strategic Partnership at Multi-stakeholder Event in Cairo  

Joe Morphet on October 5, 2023

Rachel Beckett, Senior Programme Manager at Better Cotton, shakes hands with Khaled Schuman, Executive Director of Cotton Egypt Association, at a multi-stakeholder event in Cairo celebrating the two organisations' renewed strategic partnership.
Photo credit: Boulos Abdelmalek, D&B Graphics. Location: Cairo, 2023. Description: Rachel Beckett, Senior Programme Manager at Better Cotton, shakes hands with Khaled Schuman, Executive Director of Cotton Egypt Association, at a multi-stakeholder event in Cairo celebrating the two organisations’ renewed strategic partnership.

Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, and Cotton Egypt Association (CEA), the organisation responsible for promoting and protecting Egyptian cotton worldwide, celebrated the launch of their renewed strategic partnership at a multi-stakeholder event in Cairo on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

Uniting key stakeholders from across the cotton sector in Egypt and beyond, the event brought together representatives from Better Cotton, CEA, Better Cotton’s Programme Partners in Egypt (Alkan, Modern Nile and El Ekhlas), and a number of leading Better Cotton Retailer and Brand Members, as well as these members’ suppliers.

Through a renewed strategic partnership, Better Cotton and CEA aim to further enhance the yields and sustainability credentials of Egyptian cotton while ensuring fair working conditions for farmers and workers.

At the event, participants discussed opportunities to collaborate and what is required to increase the uptake of more sustainable Egyptian cotton.

Attendees also visited a Better Cotton licensed farm in Kafr Saad, in the north of Egypt, where farmers demonstrated sustainable agricultural practices. Better Cotton Members and others in attendance were able to engage with the farmers and workers, discussing key challenges and opportunities in adopting these practices.

The event was an important moment to reflect on the progress that Better Cotton and Cotton Egypt Association have made through our partnership so far, and the opportunities for further success going forward. It provided the opportunity for direct dialogue between Better Cotton producers, supply chain actors and key stakeholders from the British retail industry, and it is anticipated that it will result in increased demand for more sustainably produced Egyptian cotton.

Rachel Beckett, Senior Programme Manager at Better Cotton

I believe that we had a wonderful and fruitful event celebrating years of dedication, collaboration, and hard work that led to where we are today in driving the sustainability of ‘white gold’. The great interest shown today by retailers – and the support we have from all stakeholders in attendance – will pave the way for more success, more production of Egyptian sustainable cotton with Better Cotton’s standards, and more uptake from retailers.

Khaled Schuman, Executive Director of Cotton Egypt Association,
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Celebrating World Cotton Day 2023

Joe Morphet on October 4, 2023

Today we celebrate World Cotton Day 2023, an annual commemoration of one of the world’s most renewable resources and a commodity that supports approximately 100 million families.  

At Better Cotton, we’re working every day to support and strengthen cotton growing communities so they can keep growing the crop they rely on. As the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, our strategic aims are to embed sustainable farming practices and policies; enhance well-being and economic development; and drive global demand for sustainable cotton. We believe in the power of sustainable cotton to transform livelihoods and the environment.  

World Cotton Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021. The annual date is 7 October, but this year is being celebrated on 4 October with a World Cotton Day 2023 event hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Vienna, Austria.  

This year’s theme is “Making cotton fair and sustainable for all, from farm to fashion.”  

We’re proud to have our own Jacky Broomhead, Senior Traceability Manager, presenting at WCD 2023. She’s discussing ‘Traceability as an innovation for the cotton sector’ – a topic we’ve been focusing on as we prepare to launch our Traceability Solution next month and continue to explore how we can create more opportunity for farmers and the rest of the sector. 

We’ve also this week had CEO Alan McClay speak at The Economist’s Sustainability Week in London, participating in a panel called ‘Word on the High Street – Making Fashion and Cosmetics Sustainable.’  

This is a movement and not a moment, and we hope everyone – brands and retailers, manufacturers, producers and consumers – will join us and be part of something better. 

Image courtesy of the World Trade Organization.
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Better Cotton 2022–23 Annual Report: Better Cotton Accounts for 22% of Global Production

Joe Morphet on September 28, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Carlos Rudiney. Location: SLC Pamplona Farm, Cristalina, Goiás, Brazil. 2023. Description: Diego André Goldschmidt, Coordinator of Agricultural Production and Cristian Elias Wolfart, Tillage Coordinator at SLC Agrícola.

We’re pleased to release our Annual Report 2022-23 this week. The annual report provides an important opportunity to reflect on the progress Better Cotton has made towards our goals in the past year, exploring field and market successes and challenges, and sharing key financial information.

In this report, we see that:

  • In the 2022-23 cotton season, the Better Cotton programme reached more than 2.8 million cotton farmers in 22 countries
  • 2.2 million licensed farmers grew 5.4 million tonnes of Better Cotton – this accounted for 22% of global cotton production and equalled a 15% production increase on the previous season
  • In 2022, Better Cotton’s membership reached 2,563. Non-member users of the Better Cotton Platform exceeded 10,000 for the first time – reaching 11,234 suppliers
  • Retailer and Brand Members sourced 2.6 million tonnes of Better Cotton – accounting for more than 10% of global cotton production 

Alongside this data, our Annual Report 2022-23 explores some of our biggest endeavours of the 2022-23 fiscal year. We finalised the Principles and Criteria v3.0, and launched our Impact Targets for our 2030 Strategy. We’ve also been working on a Traceability Solution with new Chain of Custody models, all of which launches in the coming weeks.

We’ve set a strong foundation to focus on deepening our impact across the global cotton sector. We hope you’ll read the report and learn more about the progress we’re excited to see in sustainable cotton production.

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Better Cotton 2022-23 Annual Report

Better Cotton 2022-23 Annual Report
Sharing key Better Cotton updates, successes and challenges from the past year and cotton season.
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Better Cotton Launches Strategic Partnership in Spain

Joe Morphet on September 26, 2023

Photo credit: Alvaro Moreira/Better Cotton. Location: Seville, Spain, 2023. Panel (from left to right): Dimas Rizzo Escalante, President of Espalgodon; Carmen Crespo Díaz Secretary of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Regional Government of Andalusia; Damien Sanfilippo, Senior Director of Programmes, Better Cotton.
  • Better Cotton has forged partnerships with Espalgodon and the Regional Government of Andalucia to kickstart the production of Better Cotton-equivalent cotton in Spain.
  • Better Cotton has worked with the Regional Government of Andalucia to align its Integrated Production System (IPS) with the Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS).
  • The multistakeholder meeting in Seville will host farmers, ginners and other stakeholders native to Spain.

Better Cotton will today inaugurate the launch of a strategic partnership in Spain by hosting a multistakeholder event in Seville. The meeting will convene the Interprofessional Cotton Association (Espalgodon) and the Regional Government of Andalucia – two stakeholders that have helped ensure alignment between the regional government’s Integrated Production System (IPS) and the Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS) – in addition to participating farmers, ginners and other industry representatives.

Espalgodon – a coalition of three Spanish agricultural organisations – represents all cotton farmers in the country, which are projected to produce around 64,000 tonnes of cotton in the 2023/24 season. The organisation submitted a Declaration of Interest in 2021, outlining domestic appetite to collaborate on the production of more sustainable cotton.

Better Cotton has since worked with the Regional Government of Andalucia – Spain’s major cotton growing region – to recognise its Integrated Production System (IPS) as the country’s equivalent to the Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS). In practice, this will enable cotton produced on IPS licensed farms to be sold as ‘Better Cotton’.

By aligning with organisations active in Spain’s cotton sector, Better Cotton stands to tap into existing networks and local expertise whilst avoiding duplication. In return, native cotton farmers gain assurances that their product complies with the widely recognised Better Cotton Standard System.

In the 2023/24 cotton season, production is projected to decrease by upwards of 48% from the previous season due to crop development issues exacerbated by droughts.

Better Cotton’s New Country Start-Up process included the completion of a benchmarking report by third-party services provider PwC, which outlined the gaps between the two systems and the necessary action required to reach alignment.

Better Cotton, Espalgodon and the regional government will signify the start of the strategic partnership by signing an agreement, before the respective organisations present to attendees at today’s event.

The impacts of climate change on Spain’s cotton crop are plain to see from the country’s projections for the 2023/24 cotton season. Espalgodon and the Regional Government of Andalucia have demonstrated their commitment to improving the sustainability credentials of domestically grown cotton, which can make farmers more resilient in the face of global warming.

Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer, Better Cotton
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Better Cotton Calls for Eradication of Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Agriculture

Joe Morphet on September 21, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Morgan Ferrar Location: Bhavnagar district Gujarat, India, 2019. Description: Better Cotton Farmer Punamchand Jalela mixing ingredients found in nature to make bio-pesticide.
  • Better Cotton, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and others urge governments to kickstart global phase-out of highly hazardous pesticides.
  • Call made ahead of International Conference on Chemicals Management’s fifth session, set to take place in Bonn, Germany, from 25-29 September.
  • Exposure to highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) linked to severe health conditions.
  • Farmers in Better Cotton’s India Programme cut highly hazardous pesticides use from 64% to 10% between 2014/15 and 2021/22 cotton seasons.

Better Cotton and our partners in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coalition have issued a position paper demanding a global phase-out of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) across agricultural supply chains.

Ahead of the fifth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5), set to take place in Bonn, Germany, from 25-29 September, Better Cotton and fellow Coalition founding members have urged authorities to enforce regulatory frameworks that would mandate the elimination of highly hazardous agrochemicals.

The Coalition – which also includes Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – has outlined a series of recommendations to catalyse action on HHPs in agriculture. These include:

  • Committing to the global phase-out of HHPs through coordinated and time-bound actions.
  • Supporting agricultural producers in their efforts to transition to sustainable agriculture practices, such as agroecology and IPM, aimed at minimising or excluding hazardous pesticide use by providing enabling policy frameworks and funding.
  • Investing in research and innovation to develop and promote safer alternatives to HHPs, ensuring they are affordable and accessible to farmers worldwide.
  • Promoting awareness, education programmes, and trainings to support farmers to adopt IPM practices and make informed pest control choices.
  • Collaborating with governments, industry, and civil society to prevent subsidies for HHPs, and strengthen regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to ensure an effective HHP phase-out.

HHPs have historically been used to combat the threat posed by pests to cotton and other crops. Exposure to such pesticides can, however, jeopardise the health and safety of agricultural workers despite of the availability and utilisation of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Better Cotton has made significant progress in its efforts to eliminate the use of HHPs on cotton farms. In India alone, between the 2014/15 and 21/22 cotton seasons, Better Cotton Farmers cut their use of HHPs from 64% to 10%, whilst those using Monocrotophos – a pesticide classed as highly toxic by the World Health Organization – dropped from 41% to just 2%.

Across Better Cotton’s network and those of its cross-commodity partners within the Coalition – which together produce cotton, cocoa, coffee, palm oil and tea across more than 13 million hectares of land – an IPM approach has helped more than seven million farmers adopt more sustainable solutions.

As defined in Better Cotton’s Principles and Criteria (P&C), an IPM approach to cotton farming entails growing a healthy crop, preventing the build-up of pest populations, preserving and enhancing populations of beneficial organisms, field observation and managing resistance.

Trainings are provided across all countries in which Better Cotton operates to ensure cotton farmers are equipped to adopt an IPM approach and can contribute to the global phase-out of HHPs.

The IPM Coalition commends the United Nations’ Strategic Approach for International Chemicals Management (SAICM) for initiating the fifth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) which will provide an opportunity to address chemical management in accordance with the organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Only a global response to the use of highly hazardous pesticides in agricultural supply chains will ensure that farmers and their land are protected from the harmful impacts of such formulations. The IPM Coalition exists to bang the drum on this important issue and we hope authorities will join us in driving change.

Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer
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