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Better Cotton’s Membership Growth Continues in 2020

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Better Cotton’s Membership Growth Continues in 2020

Joe Morphet on September 7, 2020

In the first half of 2020, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) welcomed 210 new members. BCI works with members across the cotton supply chain to ensure there is continuous demand for and supply of Better Cotton – cotton produced by licensed BCI Farmers in line with the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria.

New members in the first half of 2020 included 32 retailers and brands from 15 countries, 157 suppliers and manufacturers, and 21 cotton traders.

The retailers and brands that joined BCI in the first half of the year include: 7 For All Mankind, A.S. Watson BV, ABASIC S.L., ADT Group Holdings Pty Ltd, All Saints, AMC Textil Ltda, Brown Thomas Arnotts, C. & J. Clark International Ltd, Cawo Textil GmbH & Co., CIVAD, Craghoppers Ltd, Fynch-Hatton GmbH, Grupo Guararapes, Holy Fashion Group, Kentaur, Kesko, Lerros Modern GmbH, Love for Denim B.V., Magic Apparels Ltd, Margaret Howell, Matalan Retail Ltd, Nelly AB, Pepkor UK Retail Ltd, Pick n Pay Clothing, Pimkie Diramode, Seed Heritage, TFG Brands Ltd, Tommy Bahama, Uchino Co., Ltd, Van Gils Fashion B.V., Weber & Ott AG and Whitbread plc.

BCI’s demand-driven funding model means that its Retailer and Brand Member sourcing of cotton as “Better Cotton’ directly translates into increased investment in training for cotton farmers on more sustainable practices. At the time of writing, collective Better Cotton uptake by Retailer and Brand Members has already surpassed 794,000 metric tonnes this year, on track to exceed the 2019 uptake if sourcing continues at the current rate.

BCI Supplier and Manufacturer Members support the transformation of the cotton sector by sourcing increased volumes of Better Cotton for BCI Retailer and Brand Members – forming a critical link between Better Cotton supply and demand. In the first half of the year, new Supplier and Manufacturer Members joined from 26 countries including Algeria, Brazil, Czech Republic, India, Indonesia, Italy, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, US and Vietnam.

You can find a list of all new members who joined in the first half of 2020 here.

Total BCI membership has now surpassed 2,000 members. The full list of all BCI Members is online here.

Organisations interested in becoming a BCI Member and supporting cotton farmers to embed more sustainable farming practices around the globe are invited to visit the membership page on the BCI website or get in touch with the BCI Membership Team.

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World Water Week 2020: Tackling Water Shortages in Tajikistan

Joe Morphet on August 26, 2020

 
In World Water Week 2020, we are pleased to launch our latest Story from the Field which explores how one BCI Farmer’s commitment to trialling water-saving practices led him to install Tajikistan’s first tubular irrigation system, saving almost two million litres of water in just one cotton season.

Tackling Water Shortages in Tajikistan: One BCI Farmer’s Commitment to Trialling Innovative Water-Saving Practices

Surrounded by the dramatic mountains of northern Tajikistan, Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Farmer Sharipov Habibullo is hard at work in his cotton fields, demonstrating the latest water-efficient farming techniques to his neighbouring BCI Farmers.

In Tajikistan, where temperatures commonly exceed 30 degrees celsius in summer, andmore than 90 percent of agricultural land is irrigated (rather than rainfed), water scarcity is a major concern for farmers and communities alike.

Farmers typically rely on the country’s old, inefficient water channels, canals and irrigation systems to water their fields and crops. As climate change brings more extreme heat to the region, it places additional pressure on already compromised water systems and supplies.

”Water scarcity prevents our crops from developing healthily, affecting our yields and our ability to provide for our families,” says Sharipov as he addresses a group of neighbouring farmers who have gathered for a BCI training session. ”As the climate changes, the seasons are becoming more irregular. We no longer have the stability we need to ensure a good harvest, with just a small window to sow and harvest our crops.”

63-year-old Sharipov is better placed than most to tackle farming challenges, with a degree in agricultural economics, 30 years’ farming experience and his own ten-hectare farm where he has grown primarily cotton (along with onions, wheat and corn) since 2010.

Having witnessed first-hand the farming environment rapidly changing during his life, he knew he needed to take further action to secure the future of not only his cotton farm and his family’s livelihood, but also his neighbouring farms and farmers who share the same limited resources and face the same challenges.

Read the full story.

 

 

 

You can find all of BCI’s Stories from the Field here.

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Better Cotton Launches New Chain of Custody Advisory Group

Joe Morphet on August 12, 2020

Last month, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) launched its new Chain of Custody Advisory Group.

The purpose of the new Advisory Group is to provide advice on the development of the Better Cotton Chain of Custody – the key framework that connects demand with supply of Better Cotton and helps to incentivise cotton farmers to adopt more sustainable practices.

Consisting of BCI Members and non-members, the Advisory Group will ensure any new Chain of Custody developments are commercially relevant, feasible and attractive to BCI’s multi-stakeholder membership.

Chain of Custody Advisory Group Members

Retailers and Brands

  • Karen Perry | John Lewis & Partners
  • Ethan Barr | Target
  • Syed Rizwan Vajahat | IKEA
  • German Garcia | Inditex

Suppliers, Manufacturers and Traders

  • Philippe Saner | Paul Reinhart AG
  • Besim Ozek | Bossa Sanayi ve Ticaret Isletmeleri TAS
  • Fawzia Yasmeen | Pahartali Textile and Hosiery Mills

Producer Organisation

  • Todd Straley | Quarterway Cotton Growers

Civil Society

  • Melissa Ho & Anis Ragland | WWF

Non-members

  • Aminah Ang | RSPO
  • Chuck Rogers | Bureau Veritas Consumer Product Services

Though it is not a decision-making body, the group will provide strategic advice to the BCI Membership and Supply Chain Team and allow for more focused discussions on the Better Cotton Chain of Custody.

”It is such a diverse group, and members have a wide range of expertise and experience. We are excited to work together to help shape the future of the Better Cotton Chain of Custody.” – Joyce Lam, Supply Chain Integrity Manager, BCI.

Find out more about the Better Cotton Chain of Custody.

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Better Cotton Publishes Revised Chain of Custody Guidelines

Joe Morphet on July 24, 2020

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has launched a revised version of the Better Cotton Chain of Custody Guidelines.

Chain of Custody Guidelines V1.4

The Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) is the key framework that connects demand with supply of Better Cotton and helps to incentivise cotton farmers to adopt more sustainable practices. The CoC Guidelines incorporate two different chain of custody models: product segregation between the farm and gin and mass-balance after the gin level.

The latest CoC Guideline revisions focused predominately on removing outdated CoC requirements, clarifying and strengthening existing requirements, addressing any ambiguous language and restructuring the layout of the document. The updated CoC Guidelines V1.4 now also clearly define and distinguish between mandatory requirements and best practice guidance.

Importantly, the basic Chain of Custody requirements have not changed – BCI still requires a product segregation model in place between farm and gin level (i.e. Better Cotton must be kept segregated from conventional cotton) and a mass-balance chain of custody model is applicable after gin level. More information on these models and requirements for different supply chain organisations can be found in the the CoC Guidelines.

The revised guidelines replace the previous V1.3 and will be effective as of 1 August 2020, which is the beginning of the ICAC international cotton season.For more information, please read the FAQ and summary of the key changes documents.

Find out more about the Better Cotton Chain of Custody on the BCI website.

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