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The High Conservation Value Network and the Better Cotton Initiative Enter a Reciprocal Partnership Agreement

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The High Conservation Value Network and the Better Cotton Initiative Enter a Reciprocal Partnership Agreement

Joe Morphet on June 11, 2019

 
We are pleased to welcome the High Conservation Value (HCV) Network as our newest BCI Member. Earlier this month, we entered into a reciprocal agreement, meaning that the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is also a member of the HCV Network.

During the revision of BCI’s Better Cotton Principles and Criteria (2015 – 2017), BCI and HCV Network worked collectively to develop innovative yet simple approaches to introduce theHigh Conservation ValueApproach and effectivebiodiversity management tools, specially designed with smallholder farmers in mind, into the Better Cotton Standard.

”The agreement and reciprocal membership follow a number of years of collaboration, during which HCV Network contributed to the revision of the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria. Last year, we joined BCI to kick-start training on biodiversity management tools with BCI Farmers in Mozambique and India. We look forward to continuing to support BCI,” says OliviaScholtz, Senior Project Manager at HCV Network.

BCI is working to ensure that farms of all sizes undertake a simplified HCV assessment (a field assessment involving the collection of field data, stakeholder consultations and analysis of existing information), prior to converting any land, such as forests, for cotton production.

”In the coming years, we will continue to work together to ensure biodiversity management tools are implemented effectively, especially where support is required to adapt the tools to national contexts. We are very happy to be strengthening our partnership with HCV Network to drive biodiversity conservation,” says Gregory Jean, Standard and Learning Manager at BCI.

Find out how BCI Farmers are protecting and enhancing biodiversity in cotton farming.

About HCV Network

The HCV Network is a member-based organisation that strives to protect High Conservation Values in areas where the expansion of forestry and agriculture may put important forests, biodiversity and local communities at risk. The HCV Network is formed by organisations that use and promote the HCV Approach.

https://hcvnetwork.org

© BCI | Water Stewardship and Land Use Training, Mozambique.

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Welcoming Marc Lewkowitz as Better Cotton’s New Council Chair

Joe Morphet on June 8, 2019

 
We are delighted to announce that Marc Lewkowitzhasbeen elected as the new Chairperson of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Council.

Marc Lewkowitz is President and CEO of Supima, the promotional and marketing organisation for American Pima cotton growers. He began his career in 1990, when he entered into the cotton industry through a family-owned gin in Paraguay and has worked as a trader and manager for firms including ContiCotton, Merrill Lynch, Itochu Cotton and Anderson Clayton/Queensland Cotton. Lewkowitz has also served as a member of the BCI Council since June 2016 and as an advisor to the Board of Cotton Council International since February 2013.

”I am honoured to have been elected to serve as Chair of the BCI Council. It is an exciting time as BCI celebrates its 10th anniversary this year along with some incredible milestones. We are also looking ahead to the next decade and developing BCI’s 2030 strategy. I look forward to working collaboratively with BCI Members and Partners to ensure BCI continues to drive sustainability in cotton production,” said Marc Lewkowitz, BCI Council Chair.

Marc succeeds Barry Clarke, an independent member and Chairperson since 2017. On stepping down from his position, Barry commented;

“It has been a great privilege to serve on the BCI Council for the past six years and to see the successful outcome of the plans we laid together for the future of sustainable cotton. We have made an encouraging start but have so much more to do. All sustainability initiatives face complex challenges but BCI is set for success with collaborative members and outstanding leadership. It will thrive under its experienced executive team, strong Council and highly qualified new Chair.”

TheBCI Councilis elected by BCI Members and is responsible for ensuring the organisation has a clear strategic direction and policy to fulfil its mission ofmaking global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in, and better for the sector’s future. Council Memberscome from organisations representing four of BCI’s membership categories (retailers and brands, suppliers and manufacturers, civil society and producer organisations), supplemented by up to three additionalindependent members.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Barry for his contribution to BCI over the past few years and to welcome Marc Lewkowitz into his new role.

Find out more about the BCI Council.

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Sustainable Cotton Production Reaches New Levels as Two Million Farmers Receive Training on Improved Farming Practices

Joe Morphet on June 6, 2019

 
Today, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) revealed in its 2018 Annual Report that Better Cotton – cotton produced in line with the initiative’s Better Cotton Principles and Criteria – now accounts for 19% of global cotton production*.

In the 2017-18 cotton season, together with our 69 on-the-ground partners and with support from 1,4000 members, BCI provided training on sustainable agricultural practices to more than two million cotton farmers in 21 countries(more than 99% of BCI Farmers are smallholders, farming on less than 20 hectares of land). This drove the volume of more sustainably produced cotton available on the global market to a new level.

By 2020, BCI aims to support 5 million cotton farmers in adopting more sustainable agricultural practices and improving their livelihoods. To do this, we focus on the diverse social, environmental and economic challenges faced by cotton farmers around the world, from drought in Australia to flooding in China and gender equality in Pakistan.

”Our comprehensive programme of training, practical demonstrations and knowledge-sharing helps farmers to raise their yields, reduce their impacts on the environment and improve working conditions. We address multiple environmental issues – from soil health and pesticide use to water stewardship – and raise awareness of the importance of Decent Work, focusing in particular on promoting women’s empowerment and preventing child labour,” says Alan McClay, CEO at BCI.

At the opposite end of the supply chain, BCI’s Retailer and Brand Members such as Hennes & Mauritz AB, IKEA Supply AG, Gap Inc., adidas AG, and Nike Inc.passed an important milestoneat the end of 2018, sourcing more than one million metric tonnes of Better Cotton– a record for BCI. That’s a 45% increase on 2017 and sends a clear signal to the market that Better Cotton is becoming a sustainable mainstream commodity.BCI’s demand-driven funding model means that retailer and brand sourcing of Better Cotton directly translates into increased investment in training for cotton farmers on more sustainable practices.

Better Cotton uptake now accounts for 4% of global cotton consumption.This progress has moved BCI closer to our2020 target to see 10% of global cotton sourced as Better Cotton.

”This historic level of Better Cotton uptake is an encouraging indicator of how well BCI is progressing toward our five 2020 targets,” says McClay.

Back in 2012, the BCI Council laid down a formidable challenge to all BCI Members, Partners, stakeholders and staff with the publication of five ambitious targets for 2020. The BCI Council asked us to demonstrate that multiple stakeholders, working together, can shift a global system so that sustainability becomes the mainstream. In the BCI 2018 Annual Report, we share the progress we’ve collectively made towards achieving these five targets.

Explore the complete BCI 2018 Annual Report on the interactive reportmicrosite. A PDF version is available for download.

Thank you to all of our committed stakeholders, who, by supporting and participating in BCI, are developing Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity and driving change.

*The percentage has been calculated using ICAC’s 2018 global production figures.

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Important Better Cotton Platform Updates

Joe Morphet on June 5, 2019

 
As part of BCI’s commitment to continual improvement, we are making some changes to how Better Cotton Claims Units (BCCUs) can be transferred through the BCP and the supply chain. Thisis designed toprotect the credibility of BCI’s chain of custody system and simplify the transfer of BCCUs.

What is the Better Cotton Platform?

The Better Cotton Platform (BCP) is an online system owned by BCI, and used by ginners, traders, spinners, other textile supply chain actors, and retailers and brands to document their Better Cotton sourcing volumes.Find out more about the Better Cotton Platform.

What are Better Cotton Claims Units?

A BCCU is the designated unit that corresponds to 1 kg of Better Cotton lint sold by a participating ginner.

Important Changes

  • As of 1 January 2020, companies wishing to transfer Better Cotton Claim Units (BCCUs) must do so electronically through the BCP. Starting on this date, members or BCP non-member suppliers* will no longer be able to transfer BCCUs using the manual entry option that is currently available in the BCP.
  • If a company is already a member of BCI or a BCP non-member supplier, no action is required.
  • Paper/hard copy Output Declaration Forms (ODFs) will no longer be accepted as a transaction entry method in the Better Cotton Platform.
  • BCI Retailer and Brands Members will have until 31 March 2020 to manually addBCCUs to their accounts (for ODFs generated before 31 Dec 2019).
  • The annual BCP access fee will be reduced from ‚Ǩ750 to ‚Ǩ500 on 1 June 2019.
  • There will be a 20% promotional discount available for those who sign up for a new BCP account between 1 June – 30 September 2019.

*A BCP non-member supplier is a company that is not a BCI member but has access to the BCP and can transfer BCCUs electronically using a supplier, end-product manufacturer, non-lint trader or sourcing agent account type.

For more information, please visit the BCP homepage.

 

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Better Cotton 2019 Annual Report

Dave Patrick on June 1, 2019

n 2019, we celebrated the Better Cotton Initiative’s (BCI’s) 10-year anniversary. BCI has come a long way since a visionary group of farmers, NGOs and apparel brands first came together to transform the way cotton is grown

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Nine Sustainability Initiatives Collaborate to Tackle Highly Toxic Pesticides

Joe Morphet on May 7, 2019

Today, a coalition of nine sustainability initiatives and standards launched a new “Pesticides and Alternatives’ app, specially designed to reduce the use of highly toxic pesticides in agriculture.

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coalition believe that reducing the use of highly toxic pesticides and offering relevant information about non-chemical pest control alternatives is critical in a world where around two million tonnes of pesticides are consumed every year1and inappropriate or improper use can affect human health, contaminate water sources, food crops and the environment more broadly.

The new app combines technology and scientific knowledge to create an effective and easy-to-use tool for auditors and decision-makers managing farms, fields and forest plantations. The app is available to download via Google Play or iTunes and contains:

  • Access to toxicity information from government authorities, international agreements and/or academic institutions;
  • The restriction status for major standard systems (including the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria3) covering more than 700 pesticide active ingredients;
  • Toxicity information related to all registered pesticides for crop and pest species in Mexico and India, as well as those registered for crops in Brazil, Colombia and Kenya;
  • Non-chemical pest control alternatives for 2,700 pests and diseases, developed by CABI2; and
  • A multi-lingual user interface available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The development of the app was possible thanks to the ISEAL Innovations Fund, the scientific support of the Oregon State University’s Integrated Plant Protection Center (OSU-IPPC), data facilitation from CABI and the collaboration of the IPM Coalition members: Better Cotton Initiative, Bonsucro, Fairtrade, Forest Stewardship Council, GEO Foundation, Global Coffee Platform, Rainforest Alliance, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, and the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

IPM Coalition members work together towards the common goal of improving knowledge and sustainable use of agrochemicals, including reducing or eliminating highly hazardous pesticides. The app has been launched to make the pesticide information on the Coalition’s online database more widely available for the countries covered.

Download the app.

Find out more about the “Pesticides and Alternatives’ app (video) and the IPM Coalition.

This project was possible thanks to a grant from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which is supported by the Swiss Government’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER).

 

Notes

1.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fes3.108 / http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/video/india/etp-pesticide.pdf

2.CABIis a not-for-profit scientific research, publishing and international development organisation. It is also one of BCI’s long-standing Implementing Partners.

3.One of theBetter Cotton Principlesfocuses on reducing the harmful impact of crop protection practices. In 2018, the Better Cotton Initiative increased its emphasis on environmental principles to strengthen the Better Cotton Standard. Our reinforced approach towards pesticide use and restriction includes phasing out highly hazardous pesticides and banning pesticides listed in the Rotterdam Convention (a treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals).

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Protecting and Enhancing Biodiversity in Cotton Farming

Well Studio on April 18, 2019

Earth Day 2019 encourages us all to “Protect Our Species’ and reduce our impact on the planet. From using pesticides derived from ingredients found in nature, to undertaking biodiversity mapping, BCI Farmers are taking multiple approaches to protecting and enhancing the natural environment, while producing cotton in a sustainable way.

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