Covid-19 and the Cotton Sector: Covid-19 Through a Gender Lens
Any world crisis with social, economic and political global repercussions hits the most vulnerable groups hardest, including women and girls.
Read moreWorld Water Week 2020: Tackling Water Shortages in Tajikistan
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.
You can find all of BCI’s Stories from the Field here.
Read moreTackling Water Shortages in Tajikistan: One Better Cotton Farmer’s Commitment to Trialing Innovative Water-Saving Practices
One BCI Farmer’s Commitment to Trialling Innovative Water-Saving Practices
Read moreBetter Cotton Launches New Chain of Custody Advisory Group
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.
Read moreCotton Farming and Covid-19: On the Ground in Pakistan
Here we speak with three BCI Implementing Partners in Pakistan – REEDS, Sangtani Women Rural Development Organization and WWF-Pakistan – to find out more about how they are supporting BCI Farmers and farming communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read moreCotton Farming and Covid-19: On the Ground in Mali
Find out more about the situation on the ground in Mali in the following Q&A with BCI’s partner Compagnie Malienne Pour le D√©velopement du Textile (CDMT).
Read more175,000 Smallholder Better Cotton Farmers in India Receive Covid-19 Insurance
IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative has funded insurance to provide income security to smallholder BCI Farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read moreBetter Cotton Publishes Revised Chain of Custody Guidelines
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.
Read moreBetter Cotton: Did You Know?
Did you know that Brazil produced the largest volumes of Better Cotton in the 2018-19 cotton season and that India had the greatest number of licensed BCI Farmers?
Read moreImproving Working Conditions for Farm Workers in Şanlıurfa
Many temporary and seasonal workers who work in the fields during the cotton season are offered no employment contract, making them vulnerable to labour issues (like being paid below the national minimum wage, for example).
Read moreSustainable Cotton Reaches 22% of Global Production as 2.3 Million Farmers Receive Training on Improved Agricultural Practices
Today, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) launched its 2019 Annual Report. In the report, BCI shares that Better Cotton – cotton produced by licensed BCI Farmers in line with the initiative’s Better Cotton Principles and Criteria – now accounts for 22% of global cotton production*.
In the 2018-19 cotton season, together with expert on-the-ground Implementing Partners and with support from more than 1,800 members, BCI provided training on more sustainable agricultural practices to 2.3 million cotton farmers – 2.1 million gained a license to sell Better Cotton. This drove the volume of more sustainably produced cotton available on the global market to a new level.
At the opposite end of the supply chain, BCI’s Retailer and Brand Members passed a significant milestoneat the end of 2019, sourcing more than 1.5 million metric tonnes of Better Cotton ¬≠– a record for BCI. That’s a 40% increase on 2018 and sends a clear signal to the market that Better Cotton is becoming a sustainable mainstream commodity. Better Cotton uptake now accounts for 6% of global cotton production.
”It is particularly pleasing to share the progress BCI is making, thanks to the concerted efforts of our members, partners and other stakeholders, towards our 2020 targets. With two more cotton seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) within which to make further advances at field level, we are committed to not only continuing to deliver beneficial change at field level, but also to learning from the experience and adapting to become more effective. We do not yet know how close we will come to our 2020 targets, and we are still assessing how the current Covid-19 pandemic will impact our efforts. But one thing is certain, we have made significant and undeniable progress over the past 10 years, and there are many successes to celebrate.” – Alan McClay, CEO, BCI.
2019 Report Highlights
- Better Cotton was grown in 23 countries in the 2018-19 cotton season.
- Licensed BCI Farmers produced 5.6 million metric tonnes of Better Cotton. That is enough cotton to make approximately 8 billion pairs of jeans, a pair each for every person in the world.
- Better Cotton now accounts for 22% of global cotton production.
- BCI and its 76 field-level partners delivered training and support to a total of 2.3 million farmers.
- 2.1 million cotton farmers received a BCI license to sell their cotton as Better Cotton – 99% are smallholders farming on less than 20 hectares.
- BCI Retailer and Brand Members sourced 1.5 million metric tonnes of cotton as Better Cotton in 2019 – a record volume.
- Uptake of Better Cotton now accounts for 6% of global cotton production.
- BCI welcomed more than 400 new members in 2019.
- By the end of the year, BCI had 1,842 members across five membership categories, a 29% increase on 2018.
Access the interactive BCI 2019 Annual Report to learn more about our successes, challenges and the progress we are making towards our 2020 targets.
*The percentage has been calculated using ICAC’s 2019 global production figures.
Celebrating and Sharing Field-Level Innovations
BCI’s partners have a deep understanding of local farming, environmental and social contexts, and are encouraged to develop and share field-level innovations which are of most benefit to the farmers and communities in their regions.
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