Smallholders (SH): Farms with a farm size typically not exceeding 20 hectares of cotton which are not structurally dependent on permanent hired labour.
Medium Farms (MF): Farms with a farm size typically between 20 to 200 hectares of cotton which usually are structurally dependent on permanent hired labour.
Better Cotton will this week participate in a panel discussion at the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum focusing on the topic of traceability within fashion and textile supply chains.
The session, titled: ‘Traceability as the Key Enabler for Improving the Sustainability of Cotton Value Chains’ will take place 15 September at the Centre William Rappard, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Jacky Broomhead, Senior Traceability Manager at Better Cotton, will moderate the discussion and will be joined by a panel including Maria Teresa Pisani, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Trade Facilitation Section; Gregory Sampson, Solutions Architect at the International Trade Centre (ITC); Jeremy Thimm, Organic Production Specialist at the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS); and Josh Taylor, Traceability Manager at Better Cotton.
Traceability will be discussed in the context of how it could benefit fashion and textile supply chains facing tightening due diligence legislation, in addition to investor pressure and changing consumer expectations around sustainability.
After two years of development, Better Cotton will this year launch its own traceability solution, capable of providing supply chain visibility for industry stakeholders. With this, cotton will be fed through new Chain of Custody models that monitor the flow of product throughout the value chain.
By logging transactions between stakeholders, fashion retailers and brands that purchase Better Cotton through its traceability solution will have oversight of their cotton’s country of origin, in addition to the proportion of Better Cotton in their products.
“This week’s Public Forum is a great opportunity to have an open discussion on the benefits and ramifications of supply chain traceability. Progress requiring the adoption of new technologies can run the risk of favouring large and developed organisations. We’re keen to collaborate with our peers to ensure these developments are scalable and inclusive for the benefit of the entire textile industry.”
Traceability will connect farmers to the supply chain and form the foundation for an Impact Marketplace Better Cotton is developing, through which farmers would be rewarded for their transition to more sustainable farming.
The panel discussion will explore the opportunity traceability holds to drive more sustainable cotton supply chains, the importance of alignment when scaling such solutions, and the need for accessible and inclusive approaches.
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We have today published our 2023 India Impact Report, which highlights significant field-level progress in reducing pesticide and water use, in addition to improvements on farmer livelihoods and equality.
The India Impact Report charts the performance of Indian cotton farmers in the Better Cotton Programme from the 2014/15 season through to the 2021/22 season – exploring the tangible benefits of more sustainable cotton production for both people and the planet.
The report explores a variety of facets of Better Cotton production, from resource utilisation and its impact on farms and the environment, to the makeup of farming communities and their economic outlook.
Since the launch of Better Cotton Programme in India in 2011, the organisation’s network of farmers has expanded from tens of thousands to almost one million.
The report shows a dramatic reduction in the use of pesticides and highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) by Better Cotton Farmers across India. From the 2014-17 seasons – used as a three-season average – to the 2021/22 season, overall pesticide use reduced by 53% as a result of the adoption of capacity strengthening trainings on an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the delivery of effective awareness campaigns.
Specifically, the number of farmers using HHPs was cut 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%.
Water usage for irrigation was reduced by 29% between the baseline years and the 2021/22 season. Nitrogen application – which drives greenhouse gas emissions in cotton production when used excessively – decreased by 6% per hectare.
On farmer livelihoods, results indicator data between the 2014-15 to 2021-22 cotton seasons has shown that total costs per hectare (excluding land renting) decreased by 15.6% in 2021-22 compared to the three-season average, driven by expense reductions for land preparation and fertiliser expenses. In 2021, Better Cotton Farmers also had an average cotton lint yield per hectare of 650kg — 200kg per hectare more than the national average.
On women in cotton, meanwhile, there has been an overall increase in the number of women Better Cotton Field Staff across India. In the 2019-20 cotton season, around 10% of Field Facilitators were women, rising to over 25% in the 2022-23 cotton season.
As the organisation turns its focus from expansion to deepening impact, the report serves to celebrate progress and identify development gaps. Part of Better Cotton’s role is to highlight needs for improvement and where continued engagement can make a positive difference for the communities growing cotton in India.
It also represents a departure from the organisation’s past results reporting methodology – through which Better Cotton Farmers were compared with non-Better Cotton Farmers – in that the operations of Better Cotton Farmers are monitored over time to assess year-on-year progress.
Since the first Better Cotton harvest in India in 2011, the country has been a pioneering force within the Better Cotton Programme. We’re buoyed by the results in this Impact Report, which demonstrate the environmental, social and economic benefits of Better Cotton production, and remain committed to driving further improvements at the farm-level.
To read the executive summary and the full report, head to the links below.
The flash floods, severe heatwaves and wildfires of recent months have demonstrated the imminent threat climate change poses to our planet. In this defining decade, lowering greenhouse gas emissions is amongst the most effective methods of reversing the effects of global warming.
According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), the agriculture sector accounts for nearly as much of world’s greenhouse gas emissions (12%) as the transportation sector (14%), which is why Better Cotton launched its Climate Change Mitigation Impact Target.
By 2030, we have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% per tonne of Better Cotton lint produced. This bold ambition will not only help farmers instil more sustainable practices within their day-to-day operations, but it’ll help the world’s leading fashion retailers and brands as they strive to lessen their Scope 3 emissions and improve the sustainability credentials of the products they sell.
Here, we speak with Anneke Keuning, Senior Environmental Specialist at BESTSELLER, to understand the way in which climate change is impacting their approach to sourcing more sustainable materials.
To reach our sustainability goals, we have to work with all aspects of our value chain and sourcing all our cotton from certified and branded alternatives like Better Cotton is part of this journey.
Sourcing Better Cotton for BESTSELLER is a minimum requirement, and therefore, all cotton used in BESTSELLER products that is not sourced as organic or recycled cotton will automatically be sourced as Better Cotton.
BESTSELLER’s sustainability strategy is named Fashion FWD and it sets our near-term direction and keeps us accountable with goals like our science based targets for climate through which we are committed to reducing our indirect emissions by 30% in 2030, compared to a 2018 baseline.
Climate change is increasingly impacting cotton growing regions. And, as the fashion industry is heavily reliant upon our planet’s natural resources such as cotton and clean water, there is a clear risk to our business. As a responsible company we have an obligation to reduce the impact our business has on the environment.
Our approach focuses on actively supporting more sustainable cotton farming practices through investments and our sourcing policies. We work simultaneously from the bottom and top of the supply chain to ensure an increased volume of preferred cotton is available for our own products and the wider fashion industry.
BESTSELLER has been an active member of Better Cotton since 2011 and have been sourcing Better Cotton since 2012. As part of our Fashion FWD strategy the amount of Better Cotton sourced has increased over the years.
When we set our science-based targets, we knew these targets were ambitious. Therefore, to achieve our goals it is crucial to work with partners throughout the supply chain who are as ambitious as we are.
And at the same time ensure that our suppliers and farmers that we work with benefit from the increased demand of lower impact cotton.
In order to reach our climate targets, we need bold action within our supply chain, and for us that means working with industry partners that are also willing to work towards those ambitious targets.
The vast majority of our climate emissions are from our supply chain. Approximately 20% of our total greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of raw materials. We have a responsibility to work with suppliers across the entire value chain to reduce our impact.
BESTSELLER’s most used raw material is cotton and our vision to increase the use of certified cotton materials year-by-year reflects our desire to respond to consumer and societal demand for lower impact cotton and to safeguard our future raw materials.
In order to reduce our impact, we aim to work with partners like Better Cotton through which we can help cotton farming communities survive and thrive, while reducing our impact and in turn protecting and restoring the environment. At the same time, we have the option to promote change in the industry and to stimulate both demand and supply of lower impact cotton.
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This week, to celebrate World Water Week 2023, we have been placing the spotlight on Better Cotton’s work to promote water stewardship, speaking to the Alliance for Water Stewardship about their work on the revision of Better Cotton’s Principles and Criteria and resharing a piece from earlier this year dispelling misconceptions about cotton’s water consumption. To close out the week, we spoke with Saleena Pookunju, Senior Manager, Programme – India, to discuss the water challenges faced by cotton farmers in India, progress at field-level, and opportunities to collaborate.
Anyone who has ever attempted to have an open conversation with a farmer in India knows that within the first few minutes of the conversation, they are going to draw your attention to water – the lack of it, the untimely abundance of it, the poor quality of it!
Water is the most important yield-limiting factor for almost all our farmers. In India, of the 1.5 million hectares grown upon in 2022-23 cotton season, as part of the Better Cotton Programme, only 27% was under completely rainfed conditions. While the rest of the 73% farms have access to various sources of water, timeliness of availability and quality were two of the major concerns they faced. For example, total dissolved salt in ground water in some areas of Gujarat is as high as 10000mg/L and is unusable for irrigation without further treatment.
It’s extremely important that water challenges are understood and addressed holistically in the context of natural resource management and climate change, and in line with the limited resources at the disposal of farmers and their communities.
With the revision of the Better Cotton Principles & Criteria – announced in April – we have moved to further promote water stewardship. As such, in addition to supporting farmers to better manage water usage at the farm-level, focus has also been on identifying shared challenges and opportunities to collaborate.
Some of the water source strengthening work we have promoted and supported include desilting check dams, village and farm-level ponds, deepening ponds in order to increase water storage capacity, and constructing rainwater harvesting and water recharging structures, as well as storage wells.
To further improve the resilience of Better Cotton Farmers, our programme advocates for micro-irrigation systems such as drip and sprinklers where feasible. In addition, by promoting various soil moisture management practices such as mulching, intercropping, green manuring, our programme also encourages community-level watershed mapping and crop water budgeting so that farmers can make informed decisions on what to grow based on the level of water available for that season.
While water woes intensify due to the climate crisis, Better Cotton resolves to continue to bring more investment to the field and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders.
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At the inaugural Better Cotton Member Awards, presented during the Better Cotton Conference in June 2023, we presented the Outstanding Contribution Award to Mark Dent, Senior Advisor at Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), in recognition of his work on the revision of Better Cotton’s Principles and Criteria (P&C).
Mark was the AWS representative on the Natural Resources Working Group, one of the three key working groups, made up of subject experts, which helped to draft the revised P&C. He provided guidance and expertise on water-related issues, primarily those involving multiple stakeholders.
In celebration of World Water Week 2023, we sat down with Mark to hear about the revision, AWS’ work, and the vital importance of water stewardship in cotton farming.
The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) is a global membership organisation comprising private sector, public sector, and civil society organisations (CSOs). Our members contribute to the sustainability of local water resources through the International Water Stewardship Standard, our framework for the sustainable use of water which drives, recognises and rewards good water stewardship performance.
Our vision is a water-secure world that enables people, cultures, business and nature to prosper, now and in the future. To achieve this vision, our mission is to ignite and nurture global and local leadership in credible water stewardship that recognises and secures the social, cultural, environmental and economic value of freshwater.
I am grateful to AWS for entrusting me to be their representative in this work. It was an extraordinary experience to witness first-hand the degree to which the Better Cotton Standard Revision Project’s leadership created the careful balance between moving forward with a complex and tight agenda and creating the appropriate space and tone for innovative exploration of the needs of all stakeholders.
Water is a finite common resource that has no substitute, and therefore needs to be shared between all stakeholders in a way that ensures ‘some, for all, forever’. Our standard presents a framework for cotton farms and other water-using sites to respond to local challenges and work towards sustainable, multi-stakeholder use of water, both within the fence-line of their farms and beyond, into the wider catchment. It focuses on five outcomes which are of central importance to sustainable cotton production. These are good water governance; sustainable water balance; good quality water status; healthy important water-related areas; and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.
The sheer scale of Better Cotton’s reach, globally, means that essential water steward-like skills, knowledge and actions are being propagated on a scale that makes a significant contribution to the vision & mission of the Alliance for Water Stewardship, described earlier.
It is of paramount importance, for many reasons. I will focus on three:
Such inclusive engagements also generate ‘response-able’ behaviours in which stakeholders sense impending challenges early enough to co-generate and practice wise, collective, co-ordinated responses which can significantly lessen the impact of unavoidable ‘shocks’ to the system.
Finally, inclusive stakeholder engagement addresses the phenomenon of bounded rationality which states that a person cannot be rational beyond the bounds of their cognitive or knowledge space. So, when the consequences of our ‘rational’ actions in relation to water manifest beyond our knowledge space, they could very well create highly irrational consequences. We need other stakeholders to reveal these potential consequences and thus prevent us from creating unsustainable water-related systems. Let me give you an example, I consider myself to be a rational person, BUT if I was placed in a position where I had to do brain surgery, I would inevitably perform some highly irrational actions that would harm the patient.
The ability to think and act in terms of systems is key to ensuring that cotton sector stakeholders improve their water use by responding appropriately to their local context. At the same time, this system thinking approach equips cotton producers to adhere to most of the Principles & Criteria in the Better Cotton Standard. So, training in practical, multi-stakeholder, context-related systems thinking is essential.
By Leyla Shamchiyeva, Senior Decent Work Manager at Better Cotton
Earlier this year, we unveiled the latest iteration of the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria (P&C), the foundational document that defines our farm-level standard, outlining the global framework for Better Cotton. The revision enhances our field-level standard, ensuring its continued effectiveness in driving continuous improvement and fostering sustainability impact.
One of the standout changes within the P&C is the introduction of the ‘assess and address’ approach to Decent Work. Inspired by Rainforest Alliance’s methodology, this approach departs from a rigid zero-tolerance stance towards infringements, which has historically hampered the open disclosure of issues and eroded trust with partners. Instead, it promotes greater transparency and proactivity in identifying and rectifying issues.
Amanda Noakes, our Global Decent Work and Human Rights Coordinator, elaborates on the approach and how it encourages collaboration in her insightful blog on the subject:
It aims to work together with producers and communities to tackle the root causes of human and labour rights challenges, holistically and collaboratively. It also puts a greater emphasis on supporting and investing in field-level systems and stakeholder collaboration to prevent, mitigate, identify and address issues, so that responsibility and accountability are locally owned and shared.
A great illustration of how the ‘assess and address’ approach works comes from India, where a recent incident highlighted the effectiveness of the strategy. While conducting regular monitoring activities, our Better Cotton Partners in India identified child labour within their project area. The causes were attributed to a combination of pandemic-related school closures and climatic anomalies like excessive rainfall, which resulted in a sudden demand for labour to harvest crops.
In an open disclosure during a regular Better Cotton licensing assessment visit in Maharashtra, India, our Partners candidly discussed their discovery of child labour. In doing so, they demonstrated their commitment to resolving the issue, outlining their robust monitoring mechanisms. Their in-depth understanding of triggers and risk factors, and their proactive measures to mitigate and prevent recurrence, underscored their determination to address the issue holistically. They engaged the local community, raising awareness on preventing child labour, and collaborated with the Child Labour Monitoring Committee to effectively track risks.
Overcoming initial apprehension, the Partners chose transparency and compliance with the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria. Their efforts yielded positive outcomes, notably in the reduction of child labour risks. This success story is emblematic of the ‘assess and address’ ethos. The Partners’ comprehensive approach not only mitigated the recurrence of child labour, but also indicated the strength of their ongoing vigilance to identify and address other issues in the future.
We strongly encourage all our Partners to adopt transparency and proactively tackle challenges, regardless of the complexities they face. We are firmly committed to assisting them in this through practical capacity strengthening on labour monitoring systems. These tools will empower Partners to identify risks, formulate context-sensitive mitigation strategies, and monitor the efficacy of these measures.
Our ongoing pilot programme in India will yield valuable insights to inform the guidance for our Partners worldwide. The ‘assess and address’ approach will become a requirement for all our Partners with the introduction of the revised Better Cotton Standard v3.0 in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
For the sustainability of this initiative, we must also confront the root causes of child labour, encompassing household poverty and inadequate educational infrastructure in rural areas. This demands a collective effort involving government bodies, civil society channels and businesses benefiting from the labour of the farming communities. As a multi-stakeholder organisation, we actively seek meaningful engagement with all stakeholders to support our Partners in achieving enhanced Decent Work outcomes for Better Cotton farming communities. Together, we can truly make a difference and foster sustainable change.
To find out more about the revision of our Principles and Criteria, click here.
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By Alessandra Barbarewicz, Senior Decent Work Officer, Better Cotton
Gender equality is critical to advancing progress across all sustainability outcomes. This is especially true in the cotton sector, where women play a significant role in production. Increasing gender equality is crucial – it’s not just a matter of social justice, but also has proven economic and environmental benefits.
As part of Better Cotton’s 2030 Impact Targets, we have set the target of reaching one million women in cotton with programmes and resources that promote equal farm decision-making, build climate resilience, or support improved livelihoods. In addition, we have committed to ensuring that 25% of field staff are women with the power to influence sustainable cotton production.
In order to meet this target, we need to drive significant change over the next decade. That’s why, in the latest revision of our Principles and Criteria (P&C), the document which lays out the global definition of Better Cotton, we have made Gender Equality a cross-cutting priority across all of our Principles.
As compared to the previous version of the Principles and Criteria, in which Gender Equality was included under the Decent Work principle, v.3.0 incorporates gender throughout the whole document, recognising the critical role of women in cotton production. This revised approach aims to support Better Cotton’s efforts to tackle systemic gender inequalities and promote women’s rights by supporting their participation and inclusion. The updated P&C aims to foster women’s participation and inclusion in all farm activities, looking to achieve this through a number of new measures.
Firstly, throughout the updated document, we have moved away from a focus on farmers – in certain contexts traditionally identified with male heads of household – to all individuals involved in farm-level cotton production, to ensure that everyone is proactively included in activities related to the implementation of the Better Cotton Standard, regardless of their gender, status, background or other characteristics.
The revised standard also looks to acknowledge that disadvantage and discrimination are not experienced by women alone, and that systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, class and other forms of discrimination overlap and create unique dynamics and effects. As such, it highlights that power structures should be seen and addressed in an intersectional way.
Furthermore, we have introduced requirements to the Management Principle which call for a Gender Lead or Gender Committee to identify and effectively address local barriers to women’s inclusion. To comply with this criterion, Producers are required to appoint an individual or committee responsible for identifying and raising awareness on gender-related issues, and to implement their suggestions as part of the activity and monitoring plans.
Lastly, in order to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across every farm, assessments on Producers’ efforts to promote women’s inclusion and tackle gender inequalities are now integrated into a range of different indicators across all of our Principles. The full list of these indicators can be found in Annex 1 of the P&C v.3.0 (pages 84-89).
Through our Principles and Criteria and our work across the Better Cotton Standard System, Better Cotton has a significant opportunity to promote the reduction of systemic gender inequality and promote women’s rights by supporting their participation and inclusion. To find out more how the latest revision of the P&C will help us to tackle these challenges, click here.
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Better Cotton has recently developed a partnership with Search For Justice, a member of the Children’s Advocacy Network and leading not-for-profit organisation working on child protection issues in Pakistan. The partnership is supported by the Better Cotton Growth & Innovation Fund’s (GIF) Knowledge Partner fund, aiming to support Better Cotton and its partner, Rural Education & Economic Development Society (REEDS) on child labour prevention efforts in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab.
According to a labour force survey carried out by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (2021-22), more than 1.2 million children aged 10-14 are employed in Pakistan, of which 56% are working in the agricultural sector. In reality, Pakistan’s child labour estimates are much higher, with some sources suggesting up to 10 million children, across age groups, engaged in child labour (NRSP, 2012). A rapid assessment of the child labour situation in Rahim Yar Khan and three other Punjab districts, by the National Rural Support Program (NRSP) in 2012, also emphasised the significance of the challenge, estimating approximately 385,000 children engaged in child labour across the four Southern Punjab districts, 26% of which were engaged in cotton farm labour.
Against this backdrop, our 18-month project with Search For Justice aims to strengthen the capacities of 195 field staff, to support increased understanding and awareness at farm level of the difference between age-appropriate child work and child labour. It will also mentor and support field staff on the identification, monitoring and remediation of child labour, including increasing awareness of relevant legal and institutional mechanisms.
Another key ambition of the partnership is to consult with public sector stakeholders in Punjab to support advocacy initiatives on child labour, and decent work, more generally.
With ambitious global targets, set through the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, to end child labour in all its forms by 2025 (SDG 8 – Target 8.7), Better Cotton and its partners are committed to supporting global efforts, taking significant measures to prevent, identify and remediate child labour in cotton farming contexts.
Tackling child labour requires an integrated approach, which considers its multiple underlying causes. This is why Better Cotton considers it fundamental to collaborate with relevant partners to make progress, especially considering the magnitude of the challenge in cotton, and the agricultural sector more generally.
We will share information on the progress and outcomes of the partnership as it develops, as well as providing updates on our efforts to strengthen rights protections in cotton production more broadly. If you’d be interested in learning more or supporting Better Cotton in its mission to promote decent work at farm level, please contact Amanda Noakes, Global Decent Work and Human Rights Coordinator.
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Better Cotton has announced an update to the Better Cotton Claims Framework – the set of guidelines which establishes guidance and rules to ensure that Members can make claims about their commitments to Better Cotton in a credible and positive way.
The update, version 3.1, simplifies the document for improved usability, including a quick reference table to increase clarity on which claims are available to which member audiences. It also adds new claims translations, as well as clarifications on contexts in which claims can be used and the monitoring process Better Cotton follows.
The most significant update mirrors the Cotton Consumption Independent Assessment requirements in place from January 2024. Independent Assessments will bolster claims and ensure sourcing thresholds are more meaningful, making reporting on volumes of Better Cotton sourced and On-Product Mark use more robust and credible. As of January 2024, Independent Assessment will be a requirement for any Retailer and Brand Member wishing to make advanced claims or use the Better Cotton On-Product Mark.
Our next complete revision of the Claims Framework (version 4.0) will be released in 2024, further to multistakeholder and cross-functional consultations. Version 4.0 will accommodate Better Cotton’s move towards traceability and further reflect updates to industry best practice and legislation for sustainability claims.
To learn more about our current work on claims and contribute to the conversation, register here for our upcoming webinar, in which we will cover:
