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 moreFind 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 moreIDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative has funded insurance to provide income security to smallholder BCI Farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read moreThe 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The latest CoC Guideline revisions focused predominately on removing outdated CoC requirements, clarifying and strengthening existing requirements, addressing any ambiguous language and restructuring the layout of the document.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 moreDid 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 moreMany 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 more
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
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.
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.
Read moreFarmers, farm workers, and their families — whose livelihoods depend on growing cotton — are the main beneficiaries of BCI Programmes on sustainable farming practices.
Read moreOne Family’s Journey to Understanding the Importance of Children’s Education
Read moreBCI implementing Partners are working to not only ensure farmers receive training and support for the upcoming cotton season but they also receive food packages and safety equipment.
Read moreChandrakant Kumbhani, General Manager at Ambuja Cement Foundation, tells us how the foundation is working to not only ensure farmers receive training and support for the upcoming cotton season but they are also prepared and equipped to deal with Covid-19 challenges.
Read more
