Better Cotton is the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton. Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Better Cotton will spotlight its efforts to trace cotton in Uzbekistan at this week’s Global Fashion Summit, which gets underway today in Copenhagen until 28 June.
Tomorrow, from 16:00-16:30 CEST, Better Cotton Chief Executive Officer, Alan McClay, will take part in a panel discussion centred on an ongoing pilot project in the country’s cotton sector, which has been led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
On the Innovation Stage of Copenhagen’s Concert Hall, McClay will be joined by Olivia Chassot, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division, UNECE, and Mirmukhsin Sultanov, First Deputy Chairman, Uztextileprom. Zofia Zwieglinska, International Fashion Reporter at Glossy, will facilitate the discussion.
The session will explore the pilot project’s aim of tracing Better Cotton through the vertically integrated operations of Navbahor Tekstil, a company based in the city of Navoi. In this endeavour, the UNECE established a digital platform capable of logging the movement of Better Cotton from a licensed farm through the ginning, spinning, weaving and manufacturing processes.
Uzbekistan’s recently privatised cotton industry is organised under vertically integrated businesses known as ‘clusters’, creating an operating environment that is conducive to tracing cotton.
As the world’s sixth largest cotton producing country, Uzbekistan is of strategic importance to Better Cotton, which launched a programme there in 2022, as it vies to scale the availability of more sustainable cotton, protect and restore the environment, and support local communities.
Beyond its work in Uzbekistan, Better Cotton has bold ambitions for the traceability of cotton globally and will later this year launch its own system to unite supply chain actors in data exchange.
Better Cotton’s traceability solution will enable Retailer and Brand Members to verify the country of origin of the physical Better Cotton within their products, meeting the industry’s need for supply chain transparency.
I’m excited to participate in this week’s Global Fashion Summit, discuss Better Cotton’s role in the pilot and outline its broader ambition. This pilot has been a collaborative effort and will go some way in informing the development of our own traceability system. Traceable materials and transparent supply chains are of utmost importance to leading retailers and brands, and we’re well-positioned to support their goals.
Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer, Better Cotton
Photo credit: Better Cotton/Joe Woodruff. Location: Amsterdam, 2023. Description: Regenerative agriculture expert Felipe Villela on stage at the 2023 Better Cotton Conference.
Better Cotton has concluded its annual conference, which was held from 21-22 June in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The in-person and online event attracted more than 350 industry stakeholders from 38 countries around the world, and explored four key themes: Climate Action, Sustainable Livelihoods, Data & Traceability, and Regenerative Agriculture.
On the opening day, following a member meeting in which the impending launch of Better Cotton’s India Impact Report was previewed, keynotes from Nisha Onta, Regional Coordinator for Asia at WOCAN, and Antonie Fountain, CEO of the VOICE Network, set the scene for discussions on Climate Action and Sustainable Livelihoods, respectively.
On the former, sessions highlighted both the scale of the impact of climate change on cotton farming communities, and the scope for collaboration. Breakout sessions centred on the potential of localised primary data and carbon financing projects to unlock farm-level improvements.
On the topic of Sustainable Livelihoods, meanwhile, Antonie Fountain’s presentation blended into a lively conversation on living income that he facilitated with support from IDH Senior Innovation Manager, Ashlee Tuttleman. Together, they oversaw a quiz which explored agricultural myths bandied around across commodity sectors, before winners were invited to take to the stage as impromptu panellists.
Later sessions on the topic explored in greater detail the concept of ‘wellbeing’ and ‘sustainable livelihoods’. Julia Felipe, a Better Cotton Farmer from Mozambique shared her experiences; as did Jyoti Macwan, the Secretary-General of SEWA, a women’s employment association that’s helped millions of Indian women secure necessities through local social enterprises.
The second day started with a keynote presentation from Maxine Bédat, the founder and director of the New Standard Institute, on the important role of data and traceability in a sector that’s facing increasing regulation.
Better Cotton Senior Traceability Manager, Jacky Broomhead, took to the stage soon after to outline the potential of the organisation’s traceability system as one solution. Joined by Erin Klett, Senior Director, Research & Policy at Verité, and Sarah Solomon, International Relations Officer at the US Department of Labour, they discussed the system’s impending launch and how it aligns with an influx of legislation.
A series of breakout sessions followed covering a myriad of topics, from pilot traceability efforts in India and the value of increased transparency for farmers, to the issue of greenwashing and methods of measuring impact.
A look at regenerative agriculture rounded off the event, starting with a keynote from Felipe Villela, Founder of reNature.
Better Cotton, which continues to refine its approach to regenerative agriculture, featured throughout the theme, with Nathalie Ernst, the organisation’s Farm Sustainability Standards Manager at Better Cotton, and Emma Dennis, Senior Manager Sustainable Agricultural Practices, helping set the scene as to how this approach can benefit nature and society.
This, before delegates heard from a panel of farmers representing India, Pakistan and the US about how their operations have been impacted by the adoption of regenerative practices and the misconception surrounding its applicability.
This year’s conference has been a resounding success. We’ve heard from experts throughout fashion supply chains, from valued cotton farmers in our network right through to the brands and retailers that source their product. Discussions have reiterated the urgent action required to tackle the worst effects of the climate crisis, but there was also a clear consensus around the need to deliver profound impact at farm level. With a regenerative approach and this group of changemakers we can push for social and environmental transformation.
Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer, Better Cotton
The second day of the conference featured a keynote address by Maxine Bédat, the founder and director of New Standard Institute, focusing on the theme of traceability and data. The discussions revolved around the role of data in consumer-facing communications and the upcoming launch of Better Cotton’s own traceability system, emphasising its potential for positive impact.
The final theme of the conference was regenerative agriculture, introduced by keynote speaker Felipe Villela, co-founder of the sustainable farming foundation reNature. Attendees had the opportunity to learn from cotton farmers from different parts of the world about their unique experiences with regenerative practices.
An interactive session encouraged delegates to explore the potential of regenerative agriculture from the perspective of various actors within the supply chain – and what they will do personally to ensure that the approach can scale up.
Photo credit: Better Cotton/Dennis Bouman. Location: Amsterdam, 2023. Description: Regenerative agriculture expert Felipe Villela on stage at the 2023 Better Cotton Conference.
Five Key Takeaways from Day 2
Inspirational leaders, farmers, traders, manufacturers and more took the stage to share their stories and ideas. Here are some key takeaways:
We need to embrace uncomfortable conversations, regulatory support, and proactive leadership
Understanding the challenges faced by farmers, particularly the unpredictable nature of weather-dependent income, is essential. To truly make progress, we must engage in uncomfortable conversations, and becoming more sustainable requires regulations and laws to address market failures, making sustainability a legal requirement and preventing it from being a competitive disadvantage. Embracing sustainability projects should become the norm, with companies leading the way through advocacy and other proactive measures.
Collaboration in the supply chains is needed to make traceable Better Cotton happen
Traceability drives compliance, collaboration, and connection within the supply chain and strengthens labour standards. Collaboration within the supply chain is essential to implement a traceability system that connects organisations, benefits farmers, and fosters a closer relationship between retailers and their sourcing community.
Aligning data, tools, customer demands, legislation, cost considerations, and equitable compensation are vital for measuring impact and advancing sustainability
Aligning around data is challenging, different tools provide baselines while customer preferences and legislation also influence data requirements. Understanding the purpose and context of data use informs collection strategies and long-term commitments are necessary for effective reporting.
Regenerative agriculture can ensure that farming can contribute to and benefit nature and society
We must embrace the concept that farming can have a positive effect on nature and society rather than deplete it. Practices like cover cropping, green soil coverage, and livestock integration are some of the tools that regenerative agriculture can provide to this a reality – and they can bring financial benefits to farmers too. However, the push towards regenerative practices must be inclusive of all farming contexts – including, of course, smallholders.
There is still a significant amount to learn and comprehend about regenerative agriculture
The definition of regenerative agriculture and the methods that constitute it are still being explored and understood. More collaborative work is required to achieve a comprehensive understanding and establish a common ground for measuring outcomes in regenerative agriculture. Relying on scientific research and data is essential to enhancing our understanding of this approach. However, the true inspiration lies in experiencing regenerative agriculture first-hand by listening to farmers’ experiences themselves and witnessing the results.
We express our gratitude to all the speakers and attendees for actively contributing to the success of today and to this year’s conference!
Better Cotton yesterday hosted its inaugural Member Awards at its conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The two-day Better Cotton Conference got underway on 21 June, convening supply chain actors from the cotton sector and beyond to discuss four key themes: Climate Action, Sustainable Livelihoods, Data & Traceability, and Regenerative Agriculture.
On the evening of the opening day, at a networking dinner held at Strand Zuid, Better Cotton Chief Executive Officer, Alan McClay, and Chief Operating Officer, Lena Staafgard, presented the awards. The Member Awards were established to celebrate the contribution of members to the growth and success of the Better Cotton framework and will be replicated annually at future conferences.
The first of four awards was the Global Sourcing Award, which was given to the Retail and Brand Member and Supplier & Manufacturer Member that sourced the highest volume of Better Cotton in 2022. The winners were H&M Group and Louis Dreyfus Company, having surpassed all other members in the volume of Better Cotton sourced.
The second honour was the Impact Storyteller Award which recognised an organisation with which Better Cotton has collaborated to spotlight compelling stories from the field. The winner was IPUD (İyi Pamuk Uygulamaları Derneği – the Good Cotton Practices Association), following the production of content from a field trip to Turkey – covering the topics of decent work and children’s education – which generated the most coverage on Better Cotton’s website last year.
The Outstanding Contribution Award followed, and was bestowed upon organisations who contributed “in an exceptional way” to Better Cotton’s revision of its Principles & Criteria, announced earlier this year. Representatives from the Alliance for Water Stewardship, High Conservation Value Network, Pesticides Action Network, and Solidaridad were all recognised at the ceremony for their support and input in refining the framework.
The fourth and final honour – the Transformer Award – was awarded to an organisation that’s been instrumental in shaping Better Cotton’s work since its conception. IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative – claimed the inaugural award due to its continued and priceless contribution since 2010.
I’m grateful for this opportunity to demonstrate Better Cotton’s gratitude to the businesses and organisations that have helped shape our initiative. Without them, our mission to help cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment, wouldn’t be possible.
Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Morgan Ferrar Location: Şanlıurfa, Turkey. 2019 Description: Opening cotton boll in the field.
By Lena Staafgard, COO, Better Cotton
This article was first published by WWD on 21 June
The past decade has seen a growing demand from consumers to know that the food in their fridges and the clothes in their wardrobes are made without causing harm to people or nature. Emerging to meet that demand has been a wave of voluntary sustainability standards. While none are quite the same, most adhere to the same basic model: they establish a bar for what “good” looks like, invite companies and commodity producers to meet it, and issue successful candidates with a public mark of approval.
This compliance-oriented approach gives most consumers the broad assurance that they are looking for — a fact that would ideally flow into higher sales and thus greater revenues for certified producers. Counterintuitively, however, the real impact of such voluntary schemes actually lies with those that fail to reach the bar. It’s here where the bulk of social and environmental damage is done, and, consequently, it’s here where the greatest potential for change exists. By holding out the promise of higher sales, certification offers a powerful kick to get that change process started.
Such a kick start is intrinsic to the mission of the best voluntary sustainability standards. This process of improvement starts with clarifying good practices, communicating them to producers, and then giving them the tools and support to make them operational. Over the years, Better Cotton has been doing precisely this with cotton farmers around the world; first through its Principles and Criteria, and, second, through the practical training it offers millions of farmers through its network of local partners.
The tangible differences we and other voluntary standards have made is substantive: a decline in negative impacts, an upsurge in positive benefits. Yet, even with the active support of industry partners, there is only so far we can go alone. Our model of change is sound, but our resources and reach are limited. Success to date has therefore focused on specific production chains, in specific markets; not wholesale change across the board.
Lena Staafgard, COO, Better Cotton
So how do we broaden our scope and impact to transform business at large? The answers are multiple, but a critical piece of the puzzle is one that has been largely missing till now: government action. Governments have the legislative power, the development mandate, and the administrative reach that voluntary-standards bodies could only wish for. Mobilizing these in support of our model of change would unlock our scope for impact and accelerate business’ potential for improvement.
The importance of governments playing a proactive role in scaling up the work of voluntary sustainability standards is not just my view. It’s also the opinion of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). In a timely new report on the future of cotton-related standards in South Asia, the influential development think-tank calls on governments to “update sectoral, environmental, and labor policies” in line with commonly agreed best practices.
As a minimum, this would mean ensuring unsustainable practices are phased out or banned straight-out. Take prohibiting hazardous chemicals, a move adopted by India, for instance, in the case of 27 highly toxic pesticides. Government support for training in sustainability technologies and skills would also galvanize better practice. So too could a shift in public procurement. Governments spend billions of dollars every year on products and services. Pledging that certified producers get supplier preference would amplify the clear market signal already coming from consumers. Sales taxes or other pricing mechanisms that pushed up the cost of unsustainable products would have a similar signaling effect.
As with any strategy for changing a large system, policy interventions need to form part of a bigger plan. At present, few governments have a forward-looking, positive vision of what sustainable commodity production looks like and how it could be realized. Voluntary-standards bodies, in contrast, very much do — and they are only too happy to share them.
Lena Staafgard, COO, Better Cotton
IISD’s stated rationale for government to take the lead is as simple as it is incontrovertible: to advance sustainable production, and to make compliance “easier for farmers.” Both chime with our central goal at Better Cotton. This isn’t about standards bodies like ours stepping back. Instead, it’s about a sharing of responsibility. We know that deep and lasting change depends on what we would call the “enabling environment” — when policies and the regulatory framework rewards sustainable behavior consistently.
Our game plan was never to go it alone. We came into being to clarify a baseline of public expectations and to prove these can be delivered in practice. That stage is now complete. Now it’s time for governments to step in and work with voluntary standards to ramp up what has been put in place. The model for change exists, the lessons have been learned, and the invitation to governments to join has been extended.
A dynamic opening day placed emphasis on climate action and sustainable livelihoods, bringing together industry experts from the cotton sector and beyond for discussions and interactive sessions.
We had the privilege of welcoming Nisha Onta, Regional Coordinator for Asia at WOCAN (Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management) to kickstart the conference. Following her address, a panel of farmers from India, Pakistan, and Australia took to the stage to discuss the primary risks posed by climate change, and the practical adaptation strategies they have implemented in their respective farming contexts.
As the afternoon progressed, the focus shifted towards sustainable livelihoods. Antonie Fountain, from cocoa sector body VOICE Network, set the tone in a lively keynote and interactive session by exploring various paths to achieve a living income.
We were honoured to have Julia Felipe, a Mozambique field facilitator, share her first-hand experiences on the economic realities faced by smallholder farmers.
Lastly, Jyoti Macwan, the General-Secretary of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), together with panellists discussed the concept of well-being as a component of livelihoods.
Five Key Takeaways from Day 1
Inspirational leaders, farmers, traders, manufacturers and more took the stage to share their stories and ideas. Here are five key takeaways:
The climate crisis is impacting farmers now Urgent action is required to mitigate further damage with a focus on the need for collaboration, data-backed solutions, and carbon finance projects to support farming communities in the face of extreme weather events. Farmers from leading cotton-growing countries, such as Pakistan and Australia, put into stark focus the real-world impacts of climate change on farms.
Living income is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, and will soon be the only legal thing to do A living income enables cotton communities to deal with other challenges, such as climate action and gender equality, much more easily, and within the next 3-5 years it could become a compliance issue for companies. To reach living income a combination of good agricultural practices, good governance practices and good purchasing practices are needed. Providing a living income will go a long way to improving farmer well-being, but it will not achieve it alone – we must also focus on providing access to social security and building resilience, among others.
Measurement and traceability are key to maintaining momentum in cutting emissions To drive improvements, primary data on a local level is required to identify and address immediate concerns and focal issues. Impact measurement will be fundamental to recognising improvements and challenge areas. Primary data on a local level is also essential to evaluate where emissions are coming from – and this is where traceability will become crucial.
By organising female cotton farmers and workers we can improve well-being Bringing female farmers together to raise their concerns and find solutions to their challenges, whilst also focusing on providing them with secure income and social security are important steps towards boosting their well-being. However, it is equally important to foster self-reliance and ownership among women, so that they have the power to make decisions about their lives and their farms.
We are not doing enough The cotton sector needs to be bolder, work faster and stakeholders must act together. Collaboration is intrinsic to advancing sustainability progress, but compromise will be essential to drive change. Discussions placed focus on the complexity of industry collaboration and what realistic changes look like if they’re to be beneficial for the entire supply chain.
We express our gratitude to all the speakers and attendees for actively contributing to the success of this first day, and we look forward to what today will bring!
Today’s Agenda
The traceability and data theme will get underway courtesy of a keynote from Maxine Bédat, the founder and director of New Standard Institute. In this portion, conversations will range from the role of data in consumer-facing communications to the upcoming launch of Better Cotton’s own traceability system, and how it will impact stakeholders.
Regenerative agriculture is the fourth and final theme and will be introduced by keynote speaker and co-founder of sustainable farming foundation reNature, Felipe Villela. Whilst attendees will hear the unique experiences of cotton farmers from around the world on regenerative practices, an interactive session will also task delegates with exploring this topic and its potential from the behind the lens of various supply chain actors.
By Emma Dennis, Senior Manager of Global Impact, Better Cotton
Regenerative agriculture, a key theme at the upcoming 2023 Better Cotton Conference, is a term that has been gaining a lot of traction in recent years, as we look to restore the environment. Despite this growing attention, however, the concept is still in a state of evolution.
While regenerative agriculture is a relatively recent term, the practices that it describes are often centuries old, and many Better Cotton Farmers already incorporate aspects of regenerative agriculture in their farming. In order to ensure that we are recognising these activities, our updated Principles and Criteria (P&C) has an explicit focus on the key tenets of regenerative agriculture.
In this blog, I will explore these recent updates to our P&C, outlining Better Cotton’s approach to regenerative agriculture and sharing what we are planning in the coming months.
Better Cotton’s Approach to Regenerative Agriculture
At Better Cotton, we embrace the core idea of regenerative agriculture that farming can give back to, rather than take from, nature and society. Our 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 ability of regenerative approaches to both reduce emissions and sequester carbon is significant, and of key importance in our approach.
Our unique approach works off four main premises:
Regenerative agriculture is to be seen in the context of continuous improvement rather than as an end state
Regenerative agriculture can be a solution for farming systems of all types and sizes, including smallholders. It also goes beyond cotton and needs to be considered across whole farming systems
Regenerative agriculture needs to be context-specific and centre farming communities at the core of the approach
To move substantially towards regenerative agriculture, a systemic change and major investments are needed
Regenerative Agriculture in the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria
Our programme focuses on the outcomes of regenerative agricultural practices, such as improved soil health, increased biodiversity and water efficiency, and the improved social and economic well-being of those involved in farm-level activities (including improved working conditions and better inclusion of women and people in vulnerable situations and/or facing exclusion).
These outcomes are supported by Version 3.0 of the P&C, the revision of which ensures our P&C remain an effective tool to deliver sustainable positive impacts at field level. Version 3.0 includes regenerative practices which are relevant in all cotton-growing countries, such as maximising crop diversity, minimising soil disturbance and maximising soil cover.
In addition to farming practices, the social element inherent to regenerative agriculture is integrated throughout, with a dedicated principle on improving sustainable livelihoods, a cross-cutting priority to strengthen gender equality, and a focus on farmer-centricity across all activities.
Regenerative Agriculture at the Better Cotton Conference 2023
The Better Cotton Conference 2023 provides us with a great opportunity to further explore the topic of regenerative agriculture, bringing together organisations from across sectors to share their perspectives and experiences in the field.
Regenerative agriculture is one of the four key themes of the conference, alongside sustainable livelihoods, climate action, and data and traceability. With a whole afternoon dedicated to the theme, we will explain how we currently tackle regenerative agriculture, and delve into the work we are doing to further incorporate these elements.
Kicking off the theme with a keynote address from Felipe Villela, Founder of reNature, an organisation that utilises regenerative agriculture to fight today’s most pressing challenges, we will also explore the difficulties for farmers and the responsibility of the supply chain to help find solutions to these challenges through farmer panels and interactive sessions. To find out more about the conference, head to this link.
Next Steps
Going forward, in line with our 2030 Strategy and existing commitments, Better Cotton will proactively work towards increasing the adoption of regenerative practices, including seeking ways to support farmers to better report on their progress, channel effective investments and enable all our value chain actors to better communicate on the topic. We will share updates on this work in the coming months.
Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Seun Adatsi. Location: Kolondieba, Mali. 2019. Description: Farmers in Togoya, sorting the cotton harvest.
As part of Better Cotton’s 2030 Strategy, our organisation has entered a phase of transformation, during which we are working to deepen our impact. One of the ways in which we will look to achieve this is a focus on enhancing well-being and economic development for cotton communities, as we strive to make cotton farming economically viable for all farmers, and in particular smallholders.
In order to achieve this goal, we are developing our approach to support sustainable livelihoods for farmers and workers in cotton. To find out all about Better Cotton’s approach, we spoke with Maria Kjaer, our Smallholder Livelihoods Manager.
Photo credit: Maria Kjaer
Could you give us an overview of why a Sustainable Livelihoods Approach is needed?
Globally, approximately 90% of cotton farmers are considered smallholder farmers – meaning that they grow the crop on less than 2 hectares of land. A significant proportion of these smallholder cotton farming households are found in Global South where poverty is a widespread challenge. This represents a substantial barrier to sustainable cotton production, with smallholders struggling more than any other group to establish Sustainable Livelihoods. We see a targeted organisational approach to tackle these challenges as an absolute necessity.
What does the Sustainable Livelihoods approach look to achieve?
In order to address these really complex challenges, our Sustainable Livelihoods Approach seeks to support smallholder farmers in moving towards increased wellbeing and a living income, a concept which The Living Income Community of Practice defines as the net annual income required for a household in a particular place to afford a decent standard of living for all members of that household.
Together with our in-country partners and global members of the cotton value chain, we want to help farmers to achieve this in a sustainable way, which is why it was important for us to establish a clear framework for the social impact that we wish to see throughout the cotton communities, highlighting the outcomes we are aiming to achieve through our work. We are excited to launch this new approach soon and roll it out with our partners during 2023.
What impact do you expect the new approach to have?
Going forward, we will continue to support the more sustainable growing of cotton, increasing profitability for farmers where possible. However, with our new Sustainable Livelihoods Approach, we want to approach our work in a more holistic manner.
We have identified four key Impact Areas to improve smallholder livelihoods that will guide the work that we carry out in collaboration with our partners. Our aspiration is that this new approach will enable us to:
Support skills development and learning
Enable increased access to resources
Promote livelihood diversification
Expand social networks and relations
With Better Cotton’s Sustainable Livelihoods Approach , we are also committing to leveraging our position to support farmers and workers to achieve a living income, improve standards of living and make a positive contribution to the eradication of poverty in smallholder cotton farming communities. This will not happen overnight and will require a concerted effort from actors in the supply chain, which we will look to drive forward.
How will this new approach impact Better Cotton’s work with partners?
It is essential that we enable our partners to deliver impact at field level, and in order to achieve this, we will be investing in these areas via our Growth and innovation Fund (GIF) and through additional fundraising. Sustainable Livelihoods is also one of our five 2030 Impact Target areas, alongside Soil Health, Pesticides, Climate Change Mitigation, and Women’s Empowerment.
By 2030, our target is to sustainably increase the net income and resilience of two million cotton farmers and workers. This will be achieved through the hard work of our partners, driven through several avenues such as our Principles and Criteria, our Capacity Strengthening programmes, and the Growth and Innovation Fund.
What’s next for Better Cotton and Sustainable Livelihoods?
We are currently finalising consultations, and we will be launching our approach publicly soon. Keep an eye out for the launch!
If you are interested in learning more or want to partner with us, please contact [email protected].
Photo credit: Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Photo shows (from left to right): Ilkhom Khaydarov – Chairperson, Uzbekistan textile and Garment Association, Bekhzod Musayev – Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction, Her Excellency, Tanzila Narbayeva – Uzbekistan’s Senate Chairperson and Chairperson of the National Commission to Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour, Bakhtiyor Makhmadaliyev – Deputy Chairman, Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan, Rachel Beckett – Senior Programme Manager, Better Cotton
Better Cotton has developed and signed a Roadmap of Sustainability Developments with key stakeholders in Uzbekistan to drive further improvements in the country’s cotton sector.
Uzbekistan’s Senate Chairperson and Chairperson of the National Commission to Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour, Her Excellency Tanzila Narbayeva, and Uzbekistan’s Textile and Garment Industry Association Chairperson, Mr. Ilkhom Khaydarov, were amongst signatories to the collaborative agreement during Tashkent Textile Week, from 29 May to 2 June.
At the event, Better Cotton’s Senior Programme Manager, Rachel Beckett, presented the roadmap to an audience of more than 600 delegates, including representatives from business, government, civil society, international organisations and educational institutes.
To advance the aims of the roadmap, national stakeholders have committed to supporting its implementation, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Employment, and Textile and Garments Association, amongst others.
The roadmap will build on the Better Cotton Programme in Uzbekistan, launched in 2022. As the sixth largest cotton growing nation globally, operations in Uzbekistan are intrinsic to Better Cotton’s goals of mainstreaming more sustainable cotton production.
The roadmap effectively maps out a detailed action plan through which progress will be assessed in line with four overarching objectives.
The objectives are to:
build effective management systems for the Better Cotton Programme in Uzbekistan and raise the awareness amongst cotton stakeholders in the country on sustainability pillars;
promote the labour rights of workers in the cotton sector by putting in place effective labour systems that ensure decent work, safe and healthy working conditions, effective management of employer-worker relations as well as productive social dialogue;
build key stakeholders’ awareness of best practices relating to environmental sustainability in cotton production and how these can be assessed at a field level;
build a three-year strategy that defines the ways in which the Better Cotton programme can be managed, funded, and delivered at scale.
Better Cotton sees its work in Uzbekistan as an opportunity to create value and drive improvements for the environment, producers, and workers in the country’s cotton sector, and to bring us closer to our vision of a world where all cotton is more sustainable.
Rachel Beckett, Senior Programme Manager at Better Cotton
The roadmap’s approach will include recommendations by Better Cotton on how cotton growing communities across Uzbekistan can adopt more sustainable practices that are better for the environment, communities and the economy.
With the support of key Uzbekistan stakeholders, Better Cotton is well positioned to address any current and future concerns, and will strive to develop operations across the country to continually support cotton farmers.
We believe that our partnership with Better Cotton will support the creation of effective management systems in cotton fields, encourage the broader application of modern, energy-saving technologies and reduce the impact of production on the environment. This roadmap serves to strengthen social protection, improve labour relations based on international standards, and create decent and safe working conditions for workers.
Senate Chairperson and Chairperson of the National Commission to Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour, Her Excellency Tanzila Narbayeva
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We’ve updated our Data Privacy Policy
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