Better Cotton is the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton. Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
In just over 10 years we have become the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
Better Cotton is grown in 22 countries around the world and accounts for 22% of global cotton production. In the 2022-23 cotton season, 2.13 million licensed Better Cotton Farmers grew 5.47 million tonnes of Better Cotton.
Today Better Cotton has more than 2,700 members, reflecting the breadth and diversity of the industry. Members of a global community that understands the mutual benefits of sustainable cotton farming. The moment you join, you become part of this too.
The founding premise of Better Cotton is that a healthy sustainable future for cotton and the people that farm it is in the interests of everyone connected with it.
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In April 2024, Better Cotton was the focus of a report, published by the environmental non-profit, Earthsight, which highlighted issues in the cotton industry of Brazil’s Matopiba region.
Better Cotton commissioned an independent consultant to investigate potential non-compliances on selected farms. We subsequently published our statement and summary of findings, which did not detect any breach of the Better Cotton Standard on the licensed farms in question.
Two months on, Better Cotton has been notified that Earthsight intends to release a “second output”. This specific content has not been shared with Better Cotton. Earthsight contacted us on 6 June 2024 giving us the opportunity to comment on and clarify various points which we will detail in this document.
To reiterate, we welcome scrutiny from civil society organisations. Reports like Earthsight’s help identify instances where improvements can be made. We once again extend an invite to Earthsight to engage with us to learn more about our standard system and the approach we take at field level.
Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment, thereby delivering progressive, measurable improvements at field level. Our model focuses on impact, scale and industry uptake to enable all cotton farmers to transition to more sustainable production.
We recognise that challenges exist in many of the countries in which we operate. It is only with action and perseverance in the most challenging circumstances for cotton farming that transformative change at scale can be made, and we are proud of the progress we have helped deliver globally with our dedicated network of partners and members.
In the spirit of transparency, the full document below contains further details on our action plan, clarifications and follow-up explanations to our previously issued statement, as well as information about elements of the Better Cotton Standard System.
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Earthsight: Better Cotton Action Plan Update (Updated 27/06/24)
Dr Muhammad Asim Yasin is an agricultural and environmental economist who directly supported Better Cotton Pakistan’s mission through work at the Lok Sanjh Foundation – an Implementing Partner of ours – for more than a decade before turning to academia.
He now serves as an Associate Professor of Economics at COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus where his experience at the farm level remains a constant source of inspiration.
In 2022, Dr Asim Yasin published a research paper that specifically looked at the impact of Better Cotton’s approach to addressing human exposure to pesticides and the related healthcare costs. The study was a direct comparison between 225 Better Cotton licensed farms and 225 conventional cotton-growing farms. We spoke with Dr Asim Yasin to learn more about his interest, methodology and results.
Tell us about your vocation and the topics you’re passionate about.
I am always interested in topics, programmes and initiatives that contribute to sustainability across agriculture and the environment. Agriculture and the environment are both complex and inextricably linked as the former has an effect on the environment, while climatic changes are impacting the agricultural industry.
What sparked your interest in Better Cotton and the focus of this particular paper – pesticides and their impact on human health?
I became familiar with Better Cotton back in 2014 while working for Lok Sanjh Foundation – an Implementing Partner of Better Cotton. We trained farmers to grow cotton in line with the Better Cotton Standard System. During field visits, I saw farmers follow Better Cotton’s Principles & Criteria, which sparked my interest in initiating research on different aspects of Better Cotton production.
Cotton is considered the dirtiest crop in the world as far as pesticide consumption is concerned. In Pakistan, farmers usually hire pesticide applicators to apply pesticides in the cotton fields, bringing them in direct contact with pesticides, thus causing different types of hazards. Better Cotton trains pesticide applicators and farmers to use pesticides safely. So, the focus of this particular study was to compare pesticide exposure and healthcare costs among pesticide applicators working on both Better Cotton and conventional cotton farms.
Can you summarise your approach to this study and the time over which you conducted it?
Intensive pesticide use can severely affect both the social and economic benefits of cotton production, as the overuse of inputs can impact human health as well as the cost of formulations. According to Better Cotton’s Principles & Criteria, pesticide application is the last option to manage pests. So, the main purpose of my research was to assess the importance of Better Cotton’s approach as a means to lessen the health effects of pesticide exposure. The study was carried out during the 2020/21 cotton season across three districts of Punjab – Toba Tek Singh, Bahawalnagar and Layyah. Although pesticide residues affect all farmers and farm workers, this study exclusively focused on pesticide applicators directly exposed to pesticides. The respondents were selected from a list provided by the Lok Sanjh Foundation. It took almost a year to complete the study including initial meetings, survey, data collection, data mining, analysis and write up.
What were the key areas of distinction between Better Cotton licensed farmers and conventional cotton-producing farmers in terms of the results you obtained?
Generally, both groups used almost the same pesticides that were available in the local market. The results showed that 47% of the pesticide applicators working on Better Cotton licensed farms were not affected compared to 22% of those on conventional cotton-producing farms. This was mainly due to the adoption of safety equipment by applicators on Better Cotton-producing farms. Regarding the uptake among respondents, on average, 88% wore boots on Better Cotton licensed farms compared to 63% on farms producing conventional cotton. On Better Cotton licensed farms, 52% used handkerchiefs (compared to 25%), 57% wore glasses (compared to 22%), 44% wore gloves (compared to 25%), and 78% wore masks (compared to 47%). Results showed that conventional cotton pesticide applicators experienced a greater, negative impact on their health when compared to pesticide applicators on Better Cotton licensed farms.
What’s more, on average, conventional cotton pesticide applicators faced a higher healthcare cost over the period we assessed compared to applicators on Better Cotton licensed farms, due to negligence in the use of precautionary measures.
What are the key challenges and barriers facing Pakistani cotton farming communities in relation to the adoption of more sustainable pesticide solutions and use of appropriate practices and equipment?
A lack of education along with limited access to the government’s agricultural support services, and to sustainable agriculture programmes like Better Cotton are the key factors resulting in lower adoption of best agricultural practices. In this study, alignment with the Better Cotton Standard System and education on safe and effective pesticide application were significant factors that reduced the financial toll on pesticide applicators. The role of extension services is important to educate farmers and farm workers on pesticide use. More investment on education of rural communities could help pesticide applicators better understand the associated risks and enable them to adopt proper precautionary measures against exposure.
How confident are you that systemic change will be achieved on this topic in order to protect cotton farming communities and, in your opinion, what levers must be used to enable this?
Change is not a one-day process, it takes time. The results of different research studies conducted on Better Cotton are quite encouraging in showing that systemic change will be achieved in the near future. We need to expand programmes like Better Cotton to an even bigger scale to involve the maximum number of farmers and conduct research across different sustainability metrics to highlight the scope for impact.
In your opinion, where should future research efforts on cotton in Pakistan be directed?
Following are key areas for research:
In many areas of central and southern Punjab, which were considered the core areas of cotton production, cotton is replaced by other crops like maize and sugarcane on large tracts of land. Research should be conducted to find out the reasons why, including the climatic, agronomic and economic aspects.
The scope for more sustainable agricultural practices to improve the cotton value chain.
The benefits of adopting sustainable practices for cotton picking, storing and transportation and their implications for farmers’ profitability.
The economic and social impacts of harvest and post-harvest losses.
The ecological, economic and social challenges associated with transitioning to the production of more sustainable cotton and how they can be overcome.
The need to assess the current geographical distribution and suitability of cotton production in terms of both quality and quantity base in other non-traditional areas.
The countdown is on. On June 26-27, the Better Cotton community will gather inIstanbul and online for the Better Cotton Conference 2024. This is a unique opportunity to shape a more sustainable future for the cotton sector by connecting with a diverse group of changemakers along the cotton value chain — from industry leaders to field-level experts.
This year’s conference is all about ‘Accelerating Impact’.
Our four themes are:
Putting People First
Driving Change at Field level
Understanding Policy and Industry Trends
Reporting on Data and Traceability
Building on the lively discussions and talks from last year’s conference, these themes represent key areas that are both a challenge and an opportunity for the cotton sector.
Through a mix of plenary sessions, interactive workshops and breakouts, attendees will have a chance to thoroughly explore these themes and collaborate to spark new ideas for change. And of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to network with Better Cotton Members and partners.
Let’s take a closer look at this year’s topics and the keynote speakers who will lead these discussions.
1. Putting People First
We will open our conference by exploring how centring farmers and farm workers is a win-win-win for people, the environment, and the cotton sector at large.
In this theme, we’ll be challenging cotton stakeholders on what it means to ensure a living income and decent work. Our experts are action-oriented and will share ideas for social change that empower people and strengthen livelihoods. There will also be a spotlight on decent work progress in our host country, Türkiye.
Kicking this off will be our keynote speaker Aarti Kapoor, Founder and Executive Director of Embode, an independent human rights agency working across multiple sectors and all levels of supply chains.
2. Driving Change at Field Level
In our second theme, we will discuss how to deliver impact quickly and at scale to support cotton farming communities in the fight against climate change. We will also explore topics at the heart of this mission — from soil health and regenerative agriculture to women’s empowerment and carbon markets.
As the president of the Apparel Impact Institute — a nonprofit dedicated to identifying, funding, scaling and measuring the apparel and footwear industry’s environmental impact solutions — Lewis Perkins, our keynote speaker for this theme, knows a thing or two about translating ideas into action, and will share his insights with our audience.
3. Understanding Policy and Industry Trends
As regulations and legislation rapidly evolve, staying up to date on policies and industry trends is crucial. Our third theme will not only give attendees an overview of the major sector trends on the horizon, but also how they will impact the cotton supply chain, and how Better Cotton Members can take a more active role in policymaking.
Guiding us through this will be keynote speaker Dr. Vidhura Ralapanawe, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Sustainability at the Epic Group, a state-of-the-art manufacturing company with facilities in Bangladesh, Jordan and Ethiopia.
4. Reporting on Data and Traceability
Data and traceability are central to sustainability progress, but as demand for data increases, how can we be sure we are measuring the right things? Through our final theme, we will dive into this question. With sessions on Life Cycle Assessments, data collection, and traceability strategies, we will offer important perspectives to ensure these approaches support the cotton sector’s collective goals.
Here to steer this discussion in the right direction is Tülin Akın, Co-Founder of Tabit, a social enterprise that develops solutions to agricultural problems with technologies like farmer decision support software, artificial intelligence, sensors and more.
Join Us to Accelerate Impact
We’re excited to bring our global community together to dive deeper into these topics. Join over 250 people in person and online, all working to find innovative solutions to the cotton sector’s most urgent issues.
The Better Cotton Conference is an annual opportunity to convene our global community of cotton stakeholders for two days of working together to address the challenges and opportunities in the future of sustainable cotton.
We’re especially excited this year to host the Better Cotton Conference 2024 in Türkiye – the seventh-largest cotton producer in the world, and home to a large domestic textile industry.
The conference will take place 26-27 June in Istanbul, at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center. Istanbul is home to 19% of Türkiye’s population, the largest city in Türkiye and in Europe. It is uniquely positioned on the Bosphorus Strait, spanning both Europe and Asia, and conference attendees will enjoy a networking river cruise on the Bosphorus after our first day of the conference.
Türkiye has been cultivating cotton since the 6th century, and is known worldwide for its impressive textile industry. With our own Better Cotton history going back more than 12 years, it’s the perfect place to get inspired for a better future for our sector.
The first Turkish Better Cotton harvest took place in 2013. By the 2021-22 season, production had reached over 67,000 tonnes, mainly focused in the Aegean Region, Cukurova and south-eastern Anatolia. We work with our Strategic Partner, İyi Pamuk Uygulamaları Derneği (IPUD) – the Good Cotton Practices Association, to build Better Cotton supply and demand in Türkiye and transform Turkish cotton into a sustainable mainstream commodity.
Our programme in Türkiye is hugely important to Better Cotton, and our conference provides a fantastic opportunity to highlight this. In 2017, seven Better Cotton Member brands supported IPUD’s project ‘Toward Decent Working Conditions in Cotton Farms in Şanlıurfa’. IPUD and partners have continued to scale up that work, mobilising local resources and raising awareness. At this year’s conference in Istanbul, we’ll hear from IPUD Project Coordinator Nurcan Talay about the most recent project in Turkiye, ‘Women and Child-Friendly Mobile Area Project.’
With our overall focus of ‘Accelerating Impact’ at the Better Cotton Conference 2024, sessions will be showing stakeholders tangible ways of investing in the sustainability of the cotton supply chain and the livelihoods of cotton farming communities.
We’ll showcase another Turkish perspective as Tülin Akın gives the keynote for our Reporting on Data & Traceability theme. Tülin is the founder of social enterprise Tabit, Türkiye’s first agricultural social communication and information network and its first agricultural e-commerce system. Tabit modelled Türkiye’s first farmer credit card, enabling farmers to find financial resources without incurring losses.
Our other keynote speakers include Lewis Perkins from the Apparel Impact Institute, Aarti Kapoor from human rights agency Embode, and Dr Vidhura Ralapanawe from Epic Group. The themes we’re exploring are Putting People First, Driving Change at Field Level, Understanding Policy & Industry Trends and Reporting on Data & Traceability.
Join us in the beautiful city of Istanbul, or catch our plenary sessions via an online ticket. Find more details and register here.
By Alessandra Barbarewicz, Senior Decent Work Officer at Better Cotton
In April 2024, the International Labour Organization (ILO) published a report on safety and health at work in a changing climate, highlighting the impact that climate change is already having on the health and safety of workers in all regions of the world. Recent data indicates that over 2.4 billion individuals, comprising a significant portion of the global workforce of 3.4 billion, face the threat of excessive heat exposure in their workplaces.
Agriculture stands out among the sectors bearing the brunt of climate change, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. These regions experience extreme heat and have a substantial workforce engaged in agricultural activities. Often operating in informal settings, workers endure physically demanding outdoor tasks amidst challenging conditions.
In line with the ILO’s fundamental principles and rights at work, Better Cotton acknowledges the paramount importance of addressing health and safety concerns to uphold fair working conditions for those engaged in cotton farming.
In our recently updated farm-level standard, the Principles and Criteria (P&C) version 3.0, we have strengthened our requirements regarding occupational safety and health for all farmers and workers (Criterion 5.8). The enhanced health and safety indicators stipulate regular rest breaks with access to clean drinking water, alongside provisions for shade to mitigate the dangers of heat stress, harmful UV light exposure and dehydration.
Temperatures rising due to climate change can also increase the risk of fatigue among workers and potentially lead to a decrease in attentiveness during hazardous tasks. The P&C therefore mandates Producers to proactively identify and mitigate hazards, while ensuring comprehensive health and safety training for all individuals involved in farm-level operations, with particular emphasis on those most susceptible to risks.
As highlighted by the ILO report, the repercussions of climate change for farm workers extend beyond mere exposure to excessive heat, creating a “cocktail of hazards” that pose significant health risks. With rising temperatures, pesticide efficacy is expected to decrease, as pest populations rise and their geographical distribution shifts. These changes may result in the use of more toxic pesticides and more frequent spraying, which increases the potential for worker exposure. This has both short-term and chronic impacts on health, particularly when compounded by excessive heat exposure.
In the latest version of our standard, considerable emphasis is placed on reducing reliance on chemical pesticides. This involves resorting to HHPs only as a last option within Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, ensuring safe handling and disposal of pesticide containers, and mandating the use of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at a minimum.
The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is the cornerstone of our Crop Protection Principle, which encourages farmers to foster a robust crop while minimising disturbance to agroecosystems. This approach gives preference to non-chemical methods, with conventional pesticides employed as a final recourse, thereby reducing exposure and health risks for workers. For further insights into IPM, you can explore our dedicated blog here.
Lastly, the standard recognises the interplay between climate change and social disparities across several Principles, notably Decent Work and Crop Protection, by introducing Climate Change and Gender Equality as cross-cutting priorities throughout the P&C. For example, amidst a shifting climate landscape, women may be more at risk to heat stress due to additional clothing requirements on account of cultural norms, and more vulnerable to pesticide exposure due to specific tasks they engage in or when pregnant or nursing. Producers must therefore demonstrate tailored attention to the requirements of women engaged in field activities and take steps accordingly.
Key to Better Cotton’s mission is a focus on both continuous improvement and multistakeholder collaboration. This is why mere compliance is insufficient; we must work with producers to support them as they strive for ongoing enhancement of their practices. We also acknowledge that the resilience of farmers to climate change cannot be achieved in isolation; it demands collaboration among various stakeholders, including farming communities, supply chain actors, NGOs and governments.
As a multistakeholder initiative, Better Cotton can play an important role in bringing together diverse stakeholders to mitigate adverse effects on human rights and the environment, ensuring a sustainable future for all involved in cotton production. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is particularly important in view of the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which calls for businesses to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the adverse impacts of their operations on the communities within their supply chains.
Better Cotton’s annual conference returns 26-27 June 2024! We’ll be in Istanbul, Türkiye, to welcome a multistakeholder, cross-commodity audience in-person and online for two days of action-packed discussion and debate at the Hilton Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center.
Our agenda will span four complex and interlinked themes – Putting People First, Driving Change at Field Level, Understanding Policy & Industry Trends, and Reporting on Data & Traceability.
Kicking things off across each of these will be specialist keynote speakers, who’ll set the scene for the sessions to come and offer insights on why they’re so pertinent to the sector’s development. Without further ado, let’s meet them!
Getting things underway in our ‘Putting People First’ theme will be Aarti Kapoor, the founder and Executive Director of human rights agency Embode. At Embode, Aarti has overseen the growth of a broad portfolio in the highly specialised areas of labour rights, child protection and migration. With a 25-year career spanning government civil service in the UK, local and international NGO work in Asia, and corporate strategy globally, she will lead a thoughtful discussion about decent work and other social concerns in supply chains.
That afternoon, attention will turn to our second theme – ‘Driving Change at Field Level’. For that, we welcome Lewis Perkins, President of the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), a non-profit committed to identifying, funding, scaling and measuring the apparel and footwear industry’s proven environmental impact solutions. A sustainable systems pioneer, Lewis has over two decades of experience in sustainability, corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. He formerly served as president of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) where he founded and led the Institute’s Fashion Positive initiative.
Starting day two will be our ‘Understanding Policy & Industry Trends’ theme, for which Dr Vidhura Ralapanawe has been appointed as our keynote. Vidhura is the Executive Vice President for Innovation and Sustainability of global apparel manufacturer, Epic Group, where he plays an instrumental role in delivering the company’s sustainability action plan. Over more than 15 years, his experience has spanned work on decarbonisation, the creation of ‘green factories’, resource efficiency and low-impact product design.
To round out the event, Tülin Akın, founder of social enterprise Tabit will serve as keynote for our fourth and final theme – ‘Reporting on Data & Traceability’. A passion project born during her days at Akdeniz University, Tabit is Türkiye’s first agricultural social communication and information network and its first agricultural e-commerce system.
Tülin modelled Türkiye’s first farmer credit card, enabling farmers to find financial resources without incurring losses. By establishing the world’s first Smart Village, which provides applied technology training to farmers, she has enabled more than 1.5 million farmers in Türkiye and approximately 7 million farmers in Africa and the Middle East to come together with information and technology.
Aarti Kapoor, Embode.
Lewis Perkins, Apparel Impact Institute
Dr Vidhura Ralapanawe, Epic Group
Tülin Akın, Tabit
We’re now just over seven weeks away from touching down in Istanbul for this year’s conference and we can’t wait to see you there. Tickets are still available to attend either in-person or online. Get yours via our website.
Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Seun Adatsi. Location: Kolondieba, Mali. 2019. Description: Tata Djire, Agronomist, with cotton farmers in a field in Togoya.
Better Cotton will conduct sustainability mapping and assessments in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire to better understand smallholder cotton farmer operations and needs.
The project will complement an existing partnership between WTO and FIFA which focuses on developing raw material production and processing in key countries in West and Central Africa.
Better Cotton has programmes across Africa in Egypt, Mali, Mozambique and Côte d’Ivoire.
Better Cotton is to conduct sustainability mapping and assessments in West and Central Africa to enhance its understanding of the needs of smallholder farmers in the region and identify context-specific interventions.
Funded by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), these assessments will inform ways in which targeted support can aid the production of more sustainable and regenerative cotton across Better Cotton’s programmes in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire – which engage a combined 200,000 farmers and farm workers.
This collaboration between Better Cotton and Afreximbank is part of wider efforts on the continent, led by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and football governing body FIFA, which aim to support the development of the cotton-to-textile value chain in West and Central Africa and improve economic returns for the sector.
In 2022, the WTO and FIFA formalised a partnership to enhance the participation of Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad and Mali – known as the Cotton Four (C4) – as well as neighbouring countries like Côte d’Ivoire, within apparel value chains.
In February of this year, the pair officially launched a coalition, ‘Partenariat pour le Coton’ – of which Better Cotton is a member – to accelerate work on this front.
In doing so, they issued a call for investment, emphasising that the current balance of exporting 90% cotton raw material falls short of the region’s economic potential. While raw material exports generate vital revenues, organisations active on the continent believe there is scope to bolster local processing capacities in order to boost incomes.
Better Cotton’s assessments – conducted with support from its Programme Partners in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire – will connect farming communities to the WTO and FIFA’s mission to strengthen supply chains in the region.
Better Cotton remains committed to Africa and continues to build upon its presence on the continent. In November 2023, the organisation launched its programme in Côte d’Ivoire and co-hosted an event in Chad to discuss opportunities to establish a programme in the country.
Africa is a vibrant and exciting region for cotton production and our expansion on the continent is demonstrative of that. At the heart of our mission are cotton farmers, workers and the surrounding communities – these assessments will help optimise our efforts and pave the way for continued sustainable economic development across Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.
Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer at Better Cotton
Through initiatives like these, we are committed to supporting Africa’s smallholder farmers and the entire cotton value chain, enabling them to extract maximum value from their produce, boost value addition, attain higher levels of sustainability and improve quality, all while prioritising superior products with global market potential.”
Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President at Intra-African Trade Bank, Afreximbank
Miguel Gomez-Escolar Viejo, Data Analysis Manager at Better Cotton
By Miguel Gomez-Escolar Viejo, Data Analysis Manager, Better Cotton
As the cotton sector evolves, businesses and consumers would like to know the environmental impact of the cotton in their clothes and textiles. It’s always been a difficult thing to measure, with a complex supply chain and a crop that grows in various regions across the globe. But the more we innovate, the more we can assess the impact of cotton.
Better Cotton Traceability, which launched in November 2023, enables our Members to trace the cotton they source back to the country where it was grown. Traceability will be a crucial tool to provide Members with increased visibility into their cotton supply chain, amid a rapidly changing legislative landscape calling for transparency around the origin of raw materials.
Against this backdrop, we are now shifting our approach to Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), to ensure that we are in step with the sector.
What is Better Cotton’s new approach to LCAs?
We are collaborating with Cascale (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition), a global, non-profit alliance of 300 stakeholders from the apparel sector, to produce country-level LCA metrics for Traceable Better Cotton lint, in line with our current capability to trace cotton to the country level.
We will use Cascale’s cotton LCA model, which is under joint development with other major sustainable cotton programmes. This model aims to ensure that various cotton programmes can use the same methodology.
Taking the lead from the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI), an industry-standard tool designed to provide environmental impact estimates for different materials, the model will report the following metrics:
Global warming potential
Nutrient pollution in water
Water scarcity
Fossil fuel depletion
What is a Life Cycle Assessment?
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific methodology for estimating the lifetime environmental impact of a product or service. In the case of a product like a t-shirt, a set of environmental impacts are estimated from the raw material production and processing (e.g. cotton lint), through the product’s manufacture, distribution and use, to the recycling or final disposal. LCA metrics can be used to calculate a product’s footprint across many areas, including water use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
Estimating a product’s footprint and the associated sources of environmental impact enables the identification of hotspots, which can then be addressed. For example, when it comes to GHG, past LCA studies have consistently found emissions from cotton cultivation and ginning are primarily driven by synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and power used for irrigation.
How do we expect the LCA metrics to be used?
There is large variation in cotton production contexts and available technologies across different countries. Even data from different programmes within the same country may not be comparable. In our view, the best use of LCA metrics will be to measure progress over time for each cotton programme at the country level. With our approach to provide primary data to the Cascale Higg MSI cotton model, we can enable cost-effective, timely updates to LCA metrics, so that as a sector we can better monitor how the metrics change over time.
When paired with volumes of Traceable Better Cotton, Better Cotton-specific LCA metrics at the country level can inform our Retailer and Brand Members’ organisational footprinting and reporting against Science-Based Targets. Importantly, the metrics can help identify opportunities for investment and engagement in Better Cotton climate mitigation and other environmental projects.
How did we previously approach LCAs and why is this changing?
Globally averaged LCA metrics for a product with as varied production contexts as cotton have been increasingly seen as not credible enough to drive the sector forward toward its sustainability targets. A globally averaged LCA did not make strategic or financial sense under our Mass Balance Chain of Custody.
We believe that now is the time to engage in country-level LCAs, which match the level of Better Cotton Traceability launched in November 2023. The metrics will become more specific as traceability develops. Publishing these LCA metrics will allow us to better align with industry needs and expected legislation, and it is what is needed to work with the sector to drive positive change – like reducing GHG emissions intensity and improving water use efficiency and water quality.
LCAs are limited in the indicators they measure, and will never provide a holistic understanding of sustainability issues in cotton. Better Cotton will therefore continue to monitor and report on other key sustainability issues not covered by the LCA approach, such as soil health, biodiversity, pesticide use, women’s empowerment and sustainable livelihoods. We will also continue to conduct and participate in robust research and evaluation of varying methods to provide insights on programme quality and effectiveness.
What are the next steps?
Our aim is to introduce this new approach in the second half of 2024; the first metrics we will publish will be for India.
We also welcome the new learning from our peer organisations’ ongoing in-depth LCA efforts. By learning together, we can shine a light on persisting challenges and ensure strategic investment to make cotton production more sustainable.
Better Cotton has today shared the findings of an independent audit which investigated allegations relating to cotton production in Brazil’s Matopiba region and sets out the steps it is taking in response.
The allegations made by Earthsight, a non-profit organisation, relate to two companies that own or manage a number of farms in the state of Bahia and cover illegal deforestation, green land grabbing and coercion of local communities, amongst other issues.
The audit report, produced by independent global advisory firm Peterson, has confirmed that three out of the farms mentioned were licensed to sell Better Cotton during the timeframes specified in Earthsight’s report. These three farms were not in breach of the Better Cotton Standard.
In Brazil, Better Cotton’s strategic partner is the Brazil Cotton Growers’ Association (ABRAPA) and its Responsible Brazilian Cotton (ABR) programme is recognised as equivalent to Better Cotton’s standard.
Some of the challenges reflect the complexity of Brazil’s agricultural sector and demonstrate the need for multistakeholder dialogue to ensure effective oversight and information sharing across agencies to positively impact key environmental and social issues.
We welcome the scrutiny of organisations such as Earthsight as they help to shine a spotlight on areas where both farm and regulatory oversight need to improve. Better Cotton’s mission is to promote more sustainable agricultural practices globally, helping cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment.
Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer of Better Cotton
Key Findings & Next Steps
The independent Peterson audit found no relation between the accusations by Earthsight relating to community impact and the three farms that produce Better Cotton, and therefore no breach of standards. Nevertheless, the independent auditor is engaging the communities in question with the view to understanding and addressing their concerns.
With regards to violations of land rights, the audit found that the farms in question are fully registered with the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), a self-declaratory database of rural properties, and therefore comply with the ABR standard. The farms are also certified with IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, so the use and conversion of land for cotton farming on these farms complies with national legislation and meets the ABR standard. Better Cotton cannot comment on the ongoing legal investigations into landowners.
In relation to deforestation, the report refers to fines relating to years before the farms started working with Better Cotton. There are no areas currently under embargo.
There is no evidence of the illegal spraying of pesticides as alleged. The embargos on spraying were lifted in 2018 so the aerial sprays highlighted in the report were legal. The complaint did not provide objective evidence the farms applied pesticides in violation of legal distancing.
The auditor’s report says that the ABR standard should evolve to become more focused on issues such as community needs and cultural values of lands, and to ensure that land conversion does not occur in areas of High Conservation Value. In addition, the report finds that the ABR criteria should be strengthened to ensure that producers are not engaged in acts of corruption.
Its recommendations to further strengthen the ABR programme’s indicators and assessment guidance correlated to land use law and change, biodiversity conservation, and community impact are aligned with the latest iteration of Better Cotton’s standard (v.3.0) which is being adopted in Brazil in time for the 2024/25 growing season.
Alan McClay added: “Our latest version of the Better Cotton Standard is the toughest yet and demonstrates that we are committed to bringing the cotton industry on a journey of continuous improvement. This is designed to set out our core requirements for acceptable farm-level practice.”
Better Cotton has a due diligence process to review the criteria and procedures used by each of its benchmark partners in the countries where it works with a local association. Better Cotton is also actively considering carrying out direct due diligence on large corporate owners of cotton farms given the wider impact of these businesses.
A further component of Better Cotton’s response will be to encourage and support additional engagement across commodity stakeholder groups, standards bodies and certification schemes to remedy the adverse impacts associated with cotton production.
Better Cotton has been actively working with stakeholders across the cotton value chain over the last three years to create an inclusive and scalable approach to traceability. This effort has enabled the tracking of cotton through various stages, providing more granular visibility into where cotton is grown. By 2025, we are working to offer traceability, not just at a country level, but to the gin which is only one step removed from the farms.
To read the summary of findings of the independent audit, use the link below.
Photo credit: Andrew Gustar. Location: Brussels, Belgium, 2012. Description: EU Commission. Link: https://flic.kr/p/dxGNie
After weeks of delay, member states in the European Council have reached an agreement on the European Union’s (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – the major piece of EU legislation aiming to establish a corporate due diligence duty for companies to identify, prevent, end or mitigate negative impacts of their operations on people and the environment in their own operations, their subsidiaries and their value chains.
We spoke with Lisa Ventura, Public Affairs Manager at Better Cotton, to understand what happened and how it will impact the cotton sector.
Why were there delays in approving this legislation?
Lisa Ventura, Public Affairs Manager at Better Cotton
First, it is important to highlight that such a directive comes after years of negotiations between EU bodies, including member states in the council, civil society and other key stakeholders. After a preliminary agreement was reached last December, all stakeholders assumed the rest would be straightforward.
However, in January, Germany announced that it would no longer support the directive. Then other member states such as France and Italy requested changes and no longer showed a strong commitment to the previously agreed deal. For this reason, the process was delayed to allow for revisions of the text before it regained enough support from member states and the EU at large.
After some significant concessions in the text, the EU member states in the European Council finally reached an agreement on March 15, 2024.
How much has the legislation changed from the original draft and what does this mean?
The main change in the latest version of the legislation is the scope of the companies covered by the directive. The latest version raises the employee threshold from 500 to 1000 and the turnover threshold from €150 million to €450 million, which means only a third of companies are now covered by the law compared to what was initially proposed.
The rules will still apply to both EU and non-EU companies and parent companies. There were also amendments related to civil liability, giving Member States greater flexibility on how rights can be enforced.
Despite the revisions, which came as a disappointment to civil society at large, this is still a step forward in the promotion of corporate sustainability and responsible business conduct.
When will the legislation be seen by the European Parliament, and how soon could it come into effect?
Now that an agreement has been reached in the council and at the parliament’s legal affairs committee, the revised CSDDD will be submitted to a final vote in plenary around April.
Should it be adopted and come into force then, Member States will have two years to transpose it into national law.
Due to one of the recent changes in the directive, there will be a staged approach to the implementation depending on the size of the company. We can then expect the directive to be implemented by 2027 for the largest companies, and by 2029 for smaller companies.
How could it affect the cotton sector?
Despite the revisions, this legislation still represents significant progress for community rights around the world, including those of farmers and farm workers. Businesses will have to address human rights risks in their operations and value chains.
One of the concessions in the latest version of the directive removed the proposal to reduce the threshold for companies in high-impact sectors, including textiles and agriculture. This means that it has now lowered its ambitions and fewer companies from those sectors will have to address their impact on the environment and human rights. This means the cotton sector’s transition will be slower.
Nevertheless, at Better Cotton, we welcome the adoption of this directive and hope its implementation will drive improvements within textile supply chains, in addition to meaningfully supporting sustainable livelihoods for communities around the world.
Cotton has long been a way of life for the people of Kafr Saad. However, in recent years, climate change and fluctuating market demands have posed significant threats to the future of cotton farming in this area and across Egypt.
Photo credit: Better Cotton Pakistan. Location: Islamabad, Pakistan, 2024. Description: Better Cotton and Net Zero Pakistan sign Memorandum of Understanding.
Better Cotton Pakistan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Net Zero Pakistan (NZP) to promote sustainability on cotton farms across the country and explore ways in which carbon emissions can be reduced.
Net Zero Pakistan, a coalition of national companies, public institutions and sectoral experts, was launched in 2021 by the Pakistan Environmental Trust with a goal to ensure that Pakistan’s carbon emissions do not exceed the amount absorbed by the atmosphere by 2050.
Its signatories commit to measuring and disclosing their Scope 1-3 greenhouse gas emissions – those relating to internal and supply chain activities – and following a roadmap to deliver improvements.
This MOU with the coalition will be founded on the basis that, as a field-level organisation, Better Cotton is uniquely positioned to drive change at scale within Pakistani cotton farming communities via our standard system and the promotion of more sustainable agricultural practices.
Soil health is directly linked to the environment’s ability to capture and store carbon, which helps combat the effects of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere while providing the ground with beneficial microbes.
There are more than 500,000 licensed Better Cotton Farmers in Pakistan which work across more than one million hectares of land. In total, more than 1.5 million smallholder farmers produce cotton in Pakistan, with little to no protection from the effects of climate change.
In 2022, 40% of the country’s cotton crop was lost due to severe floods caused by climate change. Better Cotton champions agricultural best practice to make cotton farming communities more resilient to extreme weather conditions – which, according to the cross-industry platform Cotton 2040, will impact cotton growing regions with increasing frequency.
The MOU stipulates that Better Cotton and NZP will collaborate to:
calculate emissions produced at the field level and identify how these can be reduced
increase productivity and the production of more sustainable cotton
implement quality improvement programmes throughout the value chain
identify and establish better market linkages capable of streamlining industry collaboration
develop joint initiatives for collaborative fundraising that would benefit Better Cotton’s mission in the country
promote Better Cotton’s mission and benefits both domestically and internationally
Our commitment to the production of more sustainable cotton in Pakistan is one shared by Net Zero Pakistan, which, since 2021, has itself had a notable impact on the country’s sustainability journey. We are excited to start this collaboration and explore opportunities to drive further improvements in cotton farming communities.
Hina Fouzia, Director of Better Cotton Pakistan
Earlier this month, Better Cotton Chief Operating Officer, Lena Staafgard, and the Director of Better Cotton Pakistan, Hina Fouzia, joined Net Zero Pakistan’s Programme Director, Hassan Anwar, at a signing event in Islamabad.
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