We are delighted to announce that the BCI Annual Membership Workshop and General Assembly will be held on 23-25 June 2014 in Amsterdam. Please hold the date in your calendars, and BCI will be contacting all members in due course with further details for the event, and will post these in the Members Area of the website on the Training and Workshop Events page. We look forward to meeting with all our members in June.
Read moreWe’re delighted to announce that Levi Strauss & Co. have become a BCI Pioneer as of January 2014.
Levi Strauss & Co. has been a BCI member since 2010, and has now become the 5th Pioneer member. They join a dedicated group of Retailers and Brands deeply committed to the success of Better Cotton, who wish to be a driving force in making Better Cotton a mainstream commodity. BCI Pioneer members are leaders in their sector and key investors in supply creation.
“Becoming a Pioneer Member of BCI this year reflects our Company’scommitmentsince 2009 to transform this important commodity for company, our consumers, the 300 million people around the world who depend on it for their livelihood.”
Michael Kobori,Vice-President, Supply Chain Social and Environmental Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co.
Read moreIn August 2013, following eight months of developing the system, we launched the Better Cotton Tracer (BCT). The BCT is a system used by traders, spinners and retailers to record purchases and sales of Better Cotton. It tracks the movement of Better Cotton volumes as it moves up the supply chain through a centralised system of entering Better Cotton Claim Units (BCCU’s) into a central database. In simple terms, the system checks volumes in and out in every single step of the supply chain.
Training took place at the annual Supply Chain Events inTurkey, Pakistan, India and China. We started to see Better Cotton move through the system in September 2013, and by December 2013, we saw the first activity on the BCT from our Retailer and Brand members.
”It is exciting for us to follow the demand for Better Cotton throughout our supply chain using the Better Cotton Tracer as members declare their purchases and sales of Better Cotton-related products over the new system. It provides us with great insight about the movement of Better Cotton at a global level” says Kerem Saral (BCI Supply Chain Manager).
To read more on our traceability tools, click here.
Read moreBCI has been working closely with the Sustainable Commodities Initiative on their’State of Sustainability Initiatives’ (SSI) 2014 Review, providing Better Cotton data for their report. The 2014 Review will include 16 leading initiatives operating in the forestry, soy, palm oil, sugar, biofuels, coffee, tea, cocoa, banana and cotton sectors: “The State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) project seeks to enhance global understanding and learning about the role and potential of market-based voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSS) such as eco-labels, sustainability standards and roundtables in the promotion of sustainable development. By providing objective, reliable and timely information on the characteristics, performance and market trends associated with voluntary sustainability initiatives, the SSI will facilitate more strategic decision-making and continual improvement across market-based voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSS).”
The three main project activities of the SSI are:
1) Documenting the market trends and developments of the VSS sector
2) Providing a regular reporting service on major VSS events
3) Facilitating thematic discussions on the relationship between VSS and key sustainable development issues.
Click here to learn more about the State of Sustainability Initiatives Review.
Read more27.11.13 Just-Style
www.just-style.com
Turkish denim specialist Calik Denim is launching a new eco-denim line to showcase its ongoing sustainability work.
Called “Botanical Sense,’ the collection will launch with 20 new natural denims made from organic cotton, BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) cotton, recycled cotton, linen, paper yarn, Tencel and Modal. Dyestuffs are either natural indigo or those approved by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). And finishes feature the recently introduced less-water technology or natural ingredients.
Consisting of stretch, superstretch, comfort stretch and rigid articles,the collection is specifically designed for the Northern European markets.
At the company’s production plant in Malatya, the entire production process is said to be environmentally-friendly.
Its R&D centre is currently working on 36 projects including vegetable dyes, energy-saving finishes and reducing water use in production. In particular, the Eco-Save process uses 65% less water and chemicals in a typical denim production cycle, and has resulted in an average drop of 70% in production waste, the company says.
Another innovation is a special finishing technique that gives a very soft handle along with a smoother and shinier surface appearance – but also uses 50% less water and just a quarter of the chemicals compared to other conventional finishes, according to Calik.
Read moreIn September 2013 we published our very first Harvest report. We wanted to simplify how we communicate, focusing on the harvests rather than the growing seasons. As of 2014 , we will be breaking this document down further, dividing our reporting into an Annual Report for 2013 – to be published in March/April – and our Harvest Report (containing the data from the field,) – to be published in September.
We’re really proud of everything we achieved in 2012. If you wish to read more about it, you can go to our Annual Reports page by clicking here.
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13.11.13 Ecotextile News
www.ecotextile.com
GENEVA – A new report from the Better Cotton Initiative’s Fast Track Program, which includes clothing retailers, Adidas, H&M and Walmart, has outlined the association’s aim to collaborate with Chinese government to develop new good agricultural practices and a greater understanding of China’s cotton policy.
Aiming to address the sustainability challenges faced in the production of cotton and work to mainstream sustainable cotton, retailers involved in the Better Cotton Initiative’s (BCI) Better Cotton Fast Track Program also include Marks and Spencer, Levi Strauss and VF Corporation.
The Better Cotton Fast Track Program End Year Report 2012, From field to fashion, report looks the impact of the fast track program worldwide, including the BCFTP funded ABRAPA (Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Algodão), project in Brazil covering over 210,000 acres and 100 farmers,20 projects in India reaching more than 90,000 workers and farmers, and an investment of EU 390 000 made in China.
The recent distortion of the market by China’s national cotton reserve program has been the biggest challenge for retail brands to procure Better Cotton from Chinese suppliers, the report claims, with thecountry cultivating around 25 per cent of the total global cotton production, according to BCI figures.
”BCI is actively seeking collaboration with central and local government (initially by engaging with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Research Centre for the Rural Economy to develop the China Good Agricultural Practices )… Developing an understanding of China’s cotton policy and exploring solutions is clearly indispensable to all stakeholders in the cotton supply chain,” the report states.
2012 was the first year Better Cotton was licensed and produced in China, with 32,000 megatonnes(MT) of lint licensed as Better Cotton, from which 29,000 MT was taken up by ginners.
Looking forward, the report states the BCI is aiming to set targets for brands to deliver on their public commitments in the coming years, whilst ”looking to evolve beyond sustainability departments of apparel companies get entrenched in their operations and commercial business.”
04.11.13 Solidaridad
www.solidaridadnetwork.org
The Implementation of Better Cotton by Solidaridad in the Mali project began in collaboration with cotton company, Compagnie Malienne pour le Development des Textiles (CMDT) and the Association des Productuers de Cotton Africain (APROCA) in the Koutaiala district of the Sikasso region in 2010. Cotton production from this region represents one-third of the country’s national seed cotton output.
After three years of implementation, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) project has exceeded all projects for trained producers and seed cotton production. The percentage of farmers earning a Better Cotton license through working with producer learning groups now exceeds 95 percent. Major results achieved by the project include improvements in skills levels of field agents and farmers in good agricultural practices.
Since 2010 Solidaridad helps small farmers in Mali to produce according to the The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) principles. These principles are about growing cotton in a way that reduces stress on the local environment, and improves the livelihoods and welfare of farming communities, with the aim of creating long-term change.’ After three years the project has grown and now reaches 32.500 farmers of which more than 95% are licensed by BCI to sell their cotton as Better Cotton, which is especially interesting for international brands and retailers.
Other achievements are:
» the reduction of average treatments on cotton plots from 7 to 13 season (Pesticide sprayings is 17% decrease compared to farmers who are not in the program);
» increases in producer incomes through reductions in production costs (16% profitability increase on cotton); improvements in cotton quality through training in improved harvest and storage techniques as well as; use of cotton harvest bags to avoid contamination;
» and a decrease in incidence of child labour and increased participation of rural women in training, particularly in leadership skills.
Major achievements for women
To compensate for the low participation by women, Madame Tata Coulibaly (National BCI Coordinator from APROCA,) initiated leadership training to enable the women to participate and claim their rights in the cotton sector. During the 2012/2013 season, she organised leadership training for 300 women and before the season was over, the women began participating in meetings with men. One of the major achievements for the women who attended the training is the acquisition of self-confidence and self-esteem.”The women now perceive their roles better as agents of change and are prepared to mobilise to become more visible through the creation of pressure groups in their villages. This means that the influence of women on decisions that are taken by men in the village is advisory. But women no longer want to be limited to an advisory role only and going forward want to contribute to decisions in a meaningful way,” said Madame Coulibaly. During the training, women expressed their gratitude to Madame Coulibaly. One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Rokiatot Traor√© of Tonasso village said; ”we are now aware of the fact that we are true agents of change at the village level. Before, we knew the dangers of pesticides, but not up to this level and importantly, we did not know that we could produce cotton with little or no insecticides,” she explained. The project prize was awarded to, Madame Coulibaly, who was invited to the BCI annual workshop organized in Singapore on September 23-24 this year, where she was presented with her prize of a computer tablet. Her efforts to promote gender equality through the training rural farmers in Mali that included top textile industry retailers were lauded by the BCI Secretariat, which organises the competition every year.
You can read the winning entry to the Better Cotton 2013 “Stories from the Field’ competition byclicking here.
BCI has been working closely with the UN Association (UK) on their 2013 publication ‘Global Development Goals – leaving no one behind’ – a comprehensive publication which outlines in detail the progress towards the global pledges made in the Millennium Declaration. Better Cotton has been included with specific reference to Millennium Development Goal 7: ‘Ensure Environmental Sustainability’ (see page 131).
Click here to read the full publication.
Read moreSteve Howard is a sustainability expert, who holds the job of chief sustainability officer at Ikea. In discussing cotton, he tells the story of the Better Cotton Initiative, “halving the water and chemical inputs to grow cotton and helping hundreds of thousands of farmers in the process.”
Watch the TED talk by clicking here.
Read moreSteve Howard is a sustainability expert, who holds the job of chief sustainability officer at Ikea. In discussing cotton, he tells the story of the Better Cotton Initiative, halving the water and chemical inputs to grow cotton and helping hundreds of thousands of farmers in the process. Follow the link here to watch the TED Talk in full.
Read moreBCI held its Annual Membership workshop in Singapore from 23rd– 24thSeptember 2013. This event is a unique opportunity for BCI members from all over the world to come together and learn, network, and be part of the decision making processes around the growth of Better Cotton worldwide. Read the newsflash from the workshop by clicking here, and members will find more detailed information and presentation downloads in the Members Area of the website on our Training and Workshop Events page.
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