Page 15 – Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton Conference 2023: Q&A With Alexander Ellebrecht From Chainpoint on Lessons Learned From Traceability Pilots

Joe Morphet on July 18, 2023

One of the four key themes of the Better Cotton Conference 2023 was Data and Traceability – reflecting a key priority for the organisation ahead of the launch of our traceability solution at the end of 2023. With the goal of tracing cotton grown in over 36 countries and sold in over 50, representing 20% of global cotton, the conference provided a great opportunity to bring together sector experts to discuss the complexities of such a significant project.

In order to understand how to successfully roll out traceability, we have run several pilots across a range of countries, so during the conference we brought together representatives from some of the organisations who have been central to these pilots to explore key learnings and challenges. Jacky Broomhead, Senior Traceability Programme Manager at Better Cotton, was joined by Erin Klett from Verité, Mahmut Pekin from the Louis Dreyfus Company, Anna Rönngard from Textile Genesis, Martha Willis from C&A, Abdala Bernardo from SAN-JFS, and Alexander Ellebrecht from Chainpoint.

After the panel, we sat down with Alexander Ellebrecht, Manager, Business Development at Chainpoint, a software provider with extensive experience in value chains for non-profits that has supported Better Cotton in two of these traceability pilots, to hear about his key takeaways from the session.

Why is traceability a growing priority for the cotton sector?

A range of different perspectives were represented in our panel, from brands and software providers such as us to ginners and traders. From each perspective, the pilots – and traceability in general – offer somewhat different advantages. Traceability provides supply chain actors with better data on their sourcing relationships, allowing them to work on continuously improving. This is a two-way street – based on hard data about performance upstream, better feedback and training can be provided, in service of their progress.

How can organisations incentivise their supply chains to take up traceability?

A topic that was mentioned multiple times is communication. Supply chains are complex and, by definition, made up of different actors with different incentives, often in different countries. One of the panellists explained how, during their trial project in India, they held calls with stakeholders from different tiers in the supply chain, to explain the purpose and importance of piloting, highlighting upcoming legislation as important context.

Communication over multiple tiers is quite rare in most supply chains, but this was successful because it was held from an incentive perspective, rather than a sustainability perspective. Not explaining traceability as something we must do because we want to be more sustainable, but rather as an opportunity that offers benefits to all involved.

This is a perspective that we embrace at Chainpoint – one of our key priorities is creating a business case for every actor, throughout the supply chain. That revolves primarily around earning money, rather than increasing sustainability or improving working conditions. Changing the world for the better is often achieved best when pairing idealism with pragmatism, knowing that mere idealism is a meagre basis for durable change in behavioural patterns. This highlights the importance of the collaborative model that Better Cotton embraces.

Photo credit: Dennis Bouman/Better Cotton. Location: Better Cotton Conference, Amsterdam, 2023. Description: From left to right- Martha Willis, C&A; Mahmut Pekin, Louis Dreyfus Company; Alexander Ellebrecht, Chainpoint; Anna Ronngard,Textile Genesis; and Erin Klett, Verité.

What other lessons were learned during the pilots?

Besides offering incentives to all involved and ample communication, local and changing circumstances need to be taken into account. That is one of the reasons for the existence of no fewer than four pilots in different countries, for two of which ChainPoint was the digital platform partner. There is no silver bullet regarding traceability and local circumstances will define your solution to a large extent. A high degree of flexibility is required from both the organisations involved and the software they use. There is – and will always be – a gap between theory and practice. It is only by keeping your ears open and making adaptions where necessary that you will be able to bridge that gap.

How important is the role of technology in traceability?

The key challenge with technology is often not related to delivery – about which the panel’s feedback was positive across all the pilots – but rather how we use it. Being able to use the platforms intuitively and have them work alongside existing data systems and processes is key to the technology’s success – we need technology to be as frictionless as possible. Any system or software ideally reduces the administrative burden on those using it, rather than the opposite. Ultimately, the goal should be to overcome the challenges we’ve discussed and create a universally applicable framework for data collection and reporting.

A final key learning is that many supply chain actors, especially suppliers, are quite tech-savvy. It is important to realise that while there are significant challenges in the adoption of any new technology or data collection process, we shouldn’t underestimate people with a clear and common goal and the right incentives to get there.

To find out more about the key highlights from the Better Cotton Conference 2023, head to this link.

Supporting Sustainable Cotton with Pakistan’s Government of Punjab

Joe Morphet on July 17, 2023

Photo credit: Communications Department, Govt of Punjab. Location: Punjab, Pakistan, 2023. Description: Third from left – Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali, Director General, Agriculture Extension, Agriculture Department, Government of Punjab; fourth from left – Mr Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Secretary, Agriculture Department, Government of Punjab; third from right – Hina Fouzia, Director for Pakistan, Better Cotton.

Better Cotton has entered into a collaborative agreement with the Government of Punjab’s Agriculture Department, in Pakistan, to advance the production of more sustainable cotton in the province.

The five-year ‘Commitment of Cooperation’ stems from the government body’s desire to develop a science-based, internationally-linked agriculture sector capable of satisfying demand for food, feed and fibre.

As a lynchpin of the country’s economy, cotton is one commodity that will be integral to achieving this ambition. As such, the Agriculture Department is to develop a strategy focused on scaling the production of more sustainable cotton.

As of the 2021-22 season, Pakistan is the third-largest producer of Better Cotton globally. Almost half a million cotton farmers hold a Better Cotton license and have collectively produced more than 680,000 tonnes of the material for use by Retail and Brand Members.

The Agriculture Department sought Better Cotton’s expertise and support to help ensure resources and finances are fed down to the field-level, benefitting both farming communities and the environment.

Working closely with the government body, Better Cotton will help ensure participating farmers align with its Principles & Criteria (P&C) and commit to measuring and reporting results.

The Agriculture Department will, meanwhile, establish a timeline for implementation to ensure its allocation of resources and plan for mainstreaming the production of more sustainable cotton is futureproof, particularly in the face of climate change and its subsequent impacts.

The initial agreement is effective immediately and will conclude in June 2028.

Better Cotton has helped cotton farmers in Pakistan produce more sustainable cotton since 2009, improving the livelihoods of approximately 1.5 million smallholder farmers along the way. We applaud the Government of Punjab’s Agriculture Department for committing to a more sustainable agriculture sector and stand committed to helping their mission.

Better Cotton Signs UN Pledge for Traceability and Transparency

Joe Morphet on July 12, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Seun Adatsi. Location: Kolondieba, Mali. 2019. Description: Freshly-picked cotton.

Better Cotton has signed the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Sustainability Pledge ahead of the launch of its Traceability Solution at the end of 2023.

The Sustainability Pledge is an open-source suite of policy recommendations, guidelines and standards that enable industry actors to authenticate their sustainability claims. The aim of the Pledge is to create a Community of Practice that would together develop traceability and transparency as key enablers for sustainability and circularity.

The UNECE launched the framework to convene credible solution providers in knowledge exchange, with the belief that companies, academics and topic experts can collectively advance supply chain transparency by engaging in open discourse. By recognising legitimate tools and projects that aim to advance industry traceability, the pledge stands to benefit policymakers, companies, workers and consumers alike.

We are signing UNECE’s Sustainability Pledge not only to affirm our commitment to improving traceability and transparency in Better Cotton supply chains, but also in support of traceability and the use of more credible sustainability claims across the industry.

Once we know the provenance of the clothes that we buy, and the path they have travelled in global value chains, then we can make informed decisions as consumers about the sustainability claims of those goods. We welcome Better Cotton’s pledge and call on other players to join and make traceability and sustainability the new normal in the textile industry.

As a signatory, Better Cotton joins more than 90 businesses to have committed to the pledge, including Inditex, Vivienne Westwood, WWF, Retraced and FibreTrace.

Better Cotton’s submission accounts for the development of its Traceability Solution, which has been developed as part of its 2030 Strategy. With over 2,500 Members across the world, Better Cotton is well placed to develop a solution that could be scaled globally.

It will offer Retailer and Brand Members the opportunity to verify the country of origin of the Physical Better Cotton in their products and enable farmers and suppliers to continue accessing increasingly regulated international value chains. All this will support Better Cotton’s work to improve lives and safeguard livelihoods in cotton farming communities.

The development of Better Cotton’s Traceability Solution has been based on extensive consultation with over 1,500 stakeholders including Suppliers, Members, and industry consultants. In signing the Sustainability Pledge, Better Cotton has outlined key actions and a timeframe within which the solution will be launched. A phased roll-out will follow, enabling all supply chain actors the opportunity to align with the new chain of custody requirements that will enable traceability before 2025.

The fashion and textile sectors face increasing regulatory pressure, particularly around ‘greenwashing’ – the use of unsubstantiated claims to deceive consumers about a company or product’s sustainability credentials. Better Cotton’s soon-to-be-launched Traceability Solution will serve to verify the provenance and chronicle the lifecycle of cotton, starting at a country-level with the aim to improve the granularity of data in the future.

Geographical Mapping Pilot Launched in Pakistan

Joe Morphet on July 7, 2023

Better Cotton works extensively in Pakistan, but traditionally the data we have collected about farmers, producers and partners has not been designed to accurately map their location and activities. This has resulted in supply chain inefficiencies and a lack of new opportunities for those involved in the sector.

A new pilot scheme aims to improve mapping data and thereby rationalise country programming – we sat down with Muhammad Qadeer ul Hussnain, Digital Agriculture Manager at Better Cotton, to find out all about it.

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Muhammad Ishtiaq. Description: Muhammad Qadeer ul Hussnain.

Can you give us an overview of the pilot?

Pakistan has one of the largest numbers of farmers of all Better Cotton-producing countries, spread over 22 districts in two provinces, organised into more than 125 Producer Units (PUs), and managed by six partners. As Better Cotton’s programme has developed, new and increasingly complex questions have emerged.

Historically, we’ve relied on tabular data for answers, but now we are adding a geographic dimension to it as well. As a result, Better Cotton is running a pilot to map three districts. Reflecting advances in geographical information system technology, remote sensing and ground data, we opted to turn to geographical mapping for the first time.

The concept was formulated in December 2022, work began to map the districts in question in March, and the pilot will end in July. It is providing customised maps of the three districts resulting in a visual representation of the study area, highlighting factors like the location of the growers, ginners and partners.

What were the pilot’s origins?

Our Pakistan country management team wanted to better assess the organisation’s reach, be able to identify shifting trends in cotton cultivation, and significantly improve data quality. Data is the bedrock of programmes based on numbers, and with different reporting methods and a lack of clarity, we wanted to introduce a system with stronger checks and balances.

For example, we know the districts where farmers work with us, but we lack both exact numbers and the location of those growers who aren’t partnered with the initiative. As a result, we weren’t able to work out why a farmer doesn’t fall under the Better Cotton umbrella. Are they too far from the programme partner in the district? Are they part of a neglected minority? It was previously impossible to tell.

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Muhammad Umar Iqbal. Description: Better Cotton Pakistan team working on geographical mapping pilot.

How did you implement the pilot?

This pilot relies heavily on open-source tools, technologies and data sources. Using publicly available material from the Survey of Pakistan (SoP), Open Street Map (OSM), the Election Commission and local government, we’ve created base maps to locate villages where Learning Groups (LGs) are formed.

For ginners, we’ve taken our existing data, like addresses and locations, and plotted these coordinates on the map. Further analysis has been employed to calculate the distances of LGs from the ginners. Laid onto this is satellite imagery, which provides much higher-resolution data and is good for crop mapping. Using an algorithm that highlights the location of fields and references data over five years, we were able to work out where cotton is being repeatedly grown.

Changing how we measure and evaluate our reach in the three pilot districts has resulted in a different sort of thinking. The data creates lots of new possibilities in terms of what we can measure, questions we can ask (particularly of our partners and their activities), as well as potential supply chain benefits. We also need to think about how to realign assessment processes.

What are your initial findings?

The findings are still being collated, but early indications are that the mapping process will provide valuable suggestions to improve country programming, partner management, evaluation and assessment. This, in turn, will result in efficiency gains, cost efficiencies and better programme management.

Our new maps highlight where cotton cultivation has dropped (and so investment does not represent value for money), and where there is a mismatch in partner operations. It also offers potential improvements to the supply chain, for example highlighting to growers the locations of their closest ginners.

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Muhammad Qadeer ul Hussnain. Description: Sample of geographical mapping.

What are the pilot’s longer-term goals?

This is a tiny pilot project, but one that may be able to be replicated globally. We’ve devised a methodology that works and we’d like to scale this up. What we’ve created is applicable to the rest of Pakistan, while other countries could use a similar approach.

We plan to develop an atlas of Better Cotton, mapping working areas with programme partners, growers and ginners. In turn, this will highlight the actual scale and reach of our operations, while also offering new and improved opportunities to partners and helping improve supply chain coordination.

Visual Overview: Better Cotton Conference 2023

Joe Morphet on June 29, 2023

Better Cotton Collaboration in Spotlight at Global Fashion Summit

Julia Thordsson on June 27, 2023

Photo credit: Lisa Ventura/Better Cotton

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.

Data, Legislation and Climate Crisis in Focus at Better Cotton Conference

Joe Morphet on June 23, 2023

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.

Conference 2023: Day 2 Highlights & Key Takeaways

Julia Thordsson on June 23, 2023

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 Hosts Inaugural Member Awards

Joe Morphet on June 22, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Dennis Bouman. Location: Amsterdam, 2023. Description: Better Cotton Conference 2023 flag.

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.

Raising the Sustainability Standard

Joe Morphet on June 22, 2023

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. 

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. 

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.

Conference 2023: Day 1 Highlights & Key Takeaways

Joe Morphet on June 22, 2023

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.

Supporting More Sustainable Livelihoods in Mozambique’s Cotton Communities

Joe Morphet on June 20, 2023