Page 49 – Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton Elects New Chairperson

Well Studio on September 15, 2014

BCI has announced that Susi Proudman, Vice President of Global Apparel and Equipment Materials at Nike, has been elected Chairperson of the Better Cotton Initiative Council. Proudman will replace Guido Verijke from IKEA whose term as Council Chairperson since 2012 has expired.

Janet Mensink of Solidaridad has been elected Vice Chair.

Nike’s Proudman commented, ”I am delighted and honoured to have been asked by the Council to serve as Chair of the BCI.The initiative has made tremendous progress over recent years in its quest to bring responsible and sustainable practices to the mainstream of cotton production.I look forward to working with fellow Council members and our partners to continue this successful expansion, and in particular, ensuring that systems and processes are in place that will attract many more brands and retailers to the program in support of millions of cotton farmers around the globe.”

The Council is a governance body, elected by BCI members, whose role it is to ensure that BCI has clear strategic direction and adequate policy to successfully fulfil its mission of making global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in, and better for the sector’s future. The Council is made up of organisations representing the different membership categories – Retailer and Brands, Suppliers and Manufacturers, Civil Society and Producer Organisations having three seats each, supplemented by up to three additionalindependent members recognized for their expertise.

To read more about the BCI Council including a list of all Members, please click here.

Better Cotton Initiative Selected as a LAUNCH Nordic Innovator for 2014

Well Studio on August 29, 2014

We are proud to announce that BCI has been selected as one of LAUNCH Nordic’s top nine Innovators for 2014, receiving support from IKEA, Novezymes, Kvadrat, leading Scientists, Investors and Nordic Gov. The 2014 LAUNCH Nordic Innovation Challengesaw applications from 65 organisations in more than 20 countries that have potential to transform the supply chain of textiles, fabrics and fibres to a system that has a minimal environmental impact and drive social equality.

As a result of BCI’s successful 2014 Challenge application we have been selected to participate in the LAUNCH Nordic Forum in Malm√∂, Sweden. Later this year, as part of the programme, 30 industry executives, materials experts, government officials and investors will gather and form the LAUNCH Nordic Council to offer insight and guidance to help scale its leading innovators. BCI will then take part in an accelerator programme to develop ideas and will be provided with access to capital for innovation, credibility and capacity.

Lena Staafgard, Business Director, BCI says ”We’re excited and proud to be part of the Launch Nordic group of innovators – a confirmation that BCI is continuing to break new ground when it comes to finding ways to really mainstream sustainability in a sector as complex as cotton. After five years we know there is no magic wand to fall back on for creating lasting change and are committed to keep up our focus on learning and innovation to find the most efficient and effective towards a better future.”

To read more about the LAUNCH Nordic programme, please click here.

LAUNCH Nordic is a global innovation platform by: IKEA, Novozymes, Kvadrat, 3GF, Danish Ministry of the Environment & The Fund for Green Business Development, the City of Copenhagen and Vinnova. LAUNCH Nordic was created in collaboration with LAUNCH, a strategic partnership between NASA, NIKE, The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) & The U.S. Department of State

Better Cotton Achieves ISEAL Membership

Well Studio on August 7, 2014

We are delighted to announce that BCI’s application to join the ISEAL Alliance has been approved and BCI has now become an associate member of ISEAL. ISEAL is the global membership association for sustainability standards, and includes as members some of the most recognised and credible standards systems in the world, including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UTZ Certified, Fairtrade and RainforestAlliance. All members must embrace the ISEAL Credibility Principles, meet the entry level criteria of ISEAL’sCodes of Good Practice,agree to fully comply with the Codes within a set time frame, and commit to continuous learning and improvement.Since being established in 2005, BCI has been working hard to build the system that follows good practices as recommended by ISEAL.

Patrick Laine, CEO, BCI: ”With more than 450 sustainability initiatives being implemented around the globe, it is understandable that companies are unsure about which ones to commit to. Adoption of ISEAL practices by sustainability initiatives provides companies assurance that the initiative is credible, and not just a marketing program or awareness-raising campaign.BCI is delighted that its program has received this level of recognition.”

Karin Kreider, Executive Director, ISEAL: ”ISEAL applauds the Better Cotton Initiative on all of the effort the organisation has put in to become an ISEAL associate member and demonstrate that its global standards programme follows credible and effective practices. We are thrilled to have such an influential initiative in the cotton sector joining the ISEAL Alliance and committing to working alongside other sustainability standards to deliver positive impacts.”

Being an ISEAL member, full or associate, is a sign of trust that a Standards System is credible and has been developed following globally recognised good practices. With the recognition of ISEAL, prospective BCI members can have confidence that by supporting Better Cotton, they are supporting a more sustainable future for the cotton sector as a whole.

Follow these links to learn more about ISEAL and the Better Cotton Standards System.To read the announcement on ISEAL’s website, click here.

Better Cotton Fast Track Program Release Annual Report

Well Studio on August 5, 2014

”Better Cotton Fast Track Program” (BCFTP) was founded in 2009-10 by a group of leading private and public organizations, convened by IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative. Through a demand-driven strategy based upon the financial commitment of leading retailers and brands and match-funded by a group of public funders the Program invests in farmer capacity building projects across the globe. In 2013, the Fast Track Fund supported over 30 farm level projects in six countries, reaching out over 200,000 farmers who have produced almost 750,000 metric tons of Better Cotton.

For more information on the progress of BCFTP in its 4^th year, we are pleased to share the Better Cotton Fast Track Program End Year Report 2013 – “Mainstreaming the Midstream’.

“The solution was Better Cotton,” says Levi Strauss & Co.’s President and CEO

Well Studio on July 31, 2014

In a follow-up article to his recent public talk about Levi Strauss & Co.’s commitment to sustainability, President and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. Chip Bergh says in the Huffington Post that BCI is the solution to Levi’s “Watergrowing” process promoting sustainable cotton farming that uses less water.

Levi Strauss & Co. has been a BCI member since 2009 and became a Pioneer Member at the start of this year. They have committed to sourcing 20% of all jeans as Better Cotton by 2015.

Read the full article here.

WWF and IKEA Release Better Cotton Project Report

Well Studio on July 9, 2014

BCI are pleased to share the results of an inspiring collaboration between two of our most active members.

WWF and IKEA are both founding members of BCI, and have always been fundamental in supporting our efforts to transform cotton production worldwide by developing Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity. In 2005, WWF and IKEA started collaborating on joint projects in India and Pakistan, and have recently released an inspiring “progress report’. The report outlines the partnership history and story so far, and details 2013 project results including reduced usage of chemical pesticides, chemical fertilisers and water, along with improved earnings and social benefits for workers.

Through BCI, and supported by our partners and members including WWF and IKEA, 193,000 farmers in India and Pakistan are now using cotton farming techniques that are better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future.

Click here to read the full report.

Tajikistan Partnership Established

Well Studio on July 4, 2014

“We are very pleased to announce that having successfully become BCI’s Implementing Partner for Tajikistan, Consumer Cooperative “Sarob’ will take over the responsibility for Better Cotton in the country. This follows a handover from our existing Partner FFPSD/GIZ, after an exemplary capacity building process between both partners where Sarob were previously Local Implementation Partners. To ensure continuity, FFPSD/GIZ will continue with the overall technical support of Sarob within the current programme phase until the end of March 2015, which will be extended as needed into the next phase until 2018.’

Mozambique Becomes the First Government to Adopt the Better Cotton Production Standard

Well Studio on July 4, 2014

The Mozambican government institute of Cotton (IAM), the leading governmental body for the development of cotton sector in Mozambique, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with BCI which embeds the Better Cotton Production Standards into the national program for cotton production. IAM will be BCI’s strategic partner to ensure the implementation of the Better Cotton standard across the spectrum of actors in the Mozambique cotton industry.

BCI CEO Patrick Laine commented, ”With this agreement IAM becomes the first government organisation to adopt the Better Cotton Production Standard as its national cotton system. BCI is delighted by the leadership example the Mozambique government is setting in this field. We look forward to working with them to ensure the successful implementation of this program which will increase the incomes of farmers while improving other social and environmental impacts associated with the production of cotton.”

Australian Cotton Industry Signs Historic Agreement with Better Cotton

Well Studio on June 24, 2014

Cotton Australia, the leading representative body for Australia’s cotton growing industry, has signed a landmark partnership agreement with BCI allowing cotton produced under the Australian myBMP certification to be sold into the global market as Better Cotton. The agreement marks a historic point in the global supply of Better Cotton. BCI CEO, Patrick Laine, commented this week: ”Australian producers have made remarkable progress, far beyond legal compliance, in growing cotton for the benefit of people and planet. BCI is delighted to recognise myBMP as providing a credible, verified framework for documenting this continuous improvement. myBMP farmers are leading by example.”

Cotton Australia CEO, Adam Kay, says the agreement would be welcomed by Australian cotton growers and the wider industry: ”Access to future growth markets is of tremendous importance to Australian cotton growers, particularly as they contend with competition from synthetic fibres. Within the global natural fibre market, demand for responsibly grown cotton is growing, and this agreement allows Australian cotton growers to participate more easily in that expanding market.”

BCI members will benefit from being able to procure Australian-grown Better Cotton from myBMP certified farmers, and Australian cotton growers will be able to use a single system to produce cotton under both the myBMP and Better Cotton banners. We are looking forward to continuing to work together, recognising the substantial efforts of the Australian cotton industry to generate environmental, economic and social benefits.

Better Cotton in Turkey Reaches New Level of Recognition

Well Studio on June 24, 2014

Better Cotton in Turkey has taken a significant step forwards in the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between the Good Cotton Practices Association (IPUD) and BCI. Founded in September 2013 as part of an ongoing effort to establish Turkey as a region for Better Cotton production, IPUD will be the stewards of Better Cotton activities in Turkey, supported by the BCI Secretariat. With the signing of the agreement IPUD commit to taking significant leadership in the implementation of the Better Cotton standard amongst Turkish cotton industry actors .

Having worked closely with the Turkish cotton sector since 2011, BCI will report on the first 2013 harvest of Better Cotton later this year. This is an innovative transition model for the implementation of Better Cotton in a country, and represents a substantial mutual opportunity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of producing Better Cotton.

Growth for Better Cotton and ABR Cotton in Brazil

Well Studio on June 23, 2014

BCI recently held its first official Partners’ meeting with Abrapa in Brasilia, which followed the successful conclusion of a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two organisations in March of this year.As a result, all Brazilian growers of certified ABR cotton are eligible to opt-in and have ABR cotton recognised as Better Cotton from this year forward. Tremendous progress continues to be made in bringing more Brazilian farmers on-board with the ABR and Better Cotton programmes, and the total Better Cotton lint production in 2014 is expected to increase by more than one-third compared to last year. Not only will this contribute to the continued growth of Better Cotton in the global supply chain, but also provide Brazilian farmers with a way to better showcase their sustainability credentials.

1.5 million people in Cameroon now benefit from Cotton made in Africa

Well Studio on June 13, 2014

In 2013, a Strategic Partnership Agreement was signed between BCI and Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), benchmarking standards and meaning that CmiA can now be sold as Better Cotton, increasing the amount available in the global supply chain.

We’re pleased to share CmiA’s news that after successfully completing verification, more than 226,000 smallholder farmers in Cameroon are for the first time growing cotton to the CmiA standard. Cotton is considered one of the main sources of income for families in rural Cameroon, and, with CmiA’s support, these families will now have the tools they need to succeed financially. Including the family members of the smallholder farmers, this expansion into Cameroon means that an additional 1.5 million people will now benefit from the program.

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) is an initiative of the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) that provides assistance in helping people help themselves through trade, to improve the living conditions of cotton farmers and their families in Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, more than 660,000 smallholder farmers in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana, C√¥te d’Ivoire and Cameroon participate in the CmiA program. As CmiA’s reach expands, so does the global reach of Better Cotton providing a more sustainable future for the cotton sector as a whole.

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Better Cotton Elects New Chairperson

Better Cotton Elects New Chairperson

Better Cotton Initiative Selected as a LAUNCH Nordic Innovator for 2014

Better Cotton Achieves ISEAL Membership

Better Cotton Fast Track Program Release Annual Report

“The solution was Better Cotton,” says Levi Strauss & Co.’s President and CEO

WWF and IKEA Release Better Cotton Project Report

Tajikistan Partnership Established

Mozambique Becomes the First Government to Adopt the Better Cotton Production Standard

Australian Cotton Industry Signs Historic Agreement with Better Cotton

Better Cotton in Turkey Reaches New Level of Recognition

Growth for Better Cotton and ABR Cotton in Brazil

1.5 million people in Cameroon now benefit from Cotton made in Africa

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