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COP28: Better Cotton’s Conference Takeaways

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COP28: Better Cotton’s Conference Takeaways

Joe Morphet on December 18, 2023

Better Cotton’s Public Affairs Manager, Lisa Ventura speaking at an ISO event at COP 28. Photo Credit: Lisa Ventura.

In late November, ahead of her trip to Dubai to represent Better Cotton at the 28th session of the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP28), we spoke to Public Affairs Manager Lisa Ventura about our plans and objectives at the climate conference.

Now that COP28 has drawn to a close, we caught up again with Lisa to hear about her experience at the conference, the progress made, and her key takeaways.

What are your reflections on COP28?  

Lisa Ventura

For the first time, agriculture was a major focus at this year’s summit, with a full thematic day on 10 December. Given the contribution of agriculture to global emissions, this was a big step forward to finding solutions to climate change in a meaningful way.  

Governments called for the implementation of multi-sectoral solutions on climate and agriculture, such as land use management, sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches. Most importantly, they recognised that these innovative and sustainable agricultural practices create economic, social and environmental benefits, improved resilience and well-being in particular.  

However, it is important to remain attentive to the focus given to food systems when COP and other climate discussions address agricultural topics. The active participation of organisations like Better Cotton is key to ensuring a balanced and integrated approach that takes into consideration all crops.  

After a lot of back and forth, there is finally an agreement to transition ‘away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner’ to avert the worst effects of climate change. This transition from fossil fuels will impact every supply chain. 

I’d also like to emphasise just how important COP has become for the sustainability ecosystem. All actors who wish to play their role in the future of our economic, social and environmental frameworks were present, and the Conference is driving the international agenda as a whole.  

How will the UN climate negotiations at COP28 affect cotton farming and farmers around the world? 

Farming communities around the world are already facing adverse impacts of climate change. Following droughts, crop yields are expected to fall significantly, resulting in diminished crop yields and overall livelihoods, and the recent floods in Pakistan and crop pests in India are just two of the recent examples of the issues impacting cotton farming.  

Nevertheless, we must also bear in mind that cotton farming produces greenhouse gas emissions and that negotiations at COP are spearheading changes in agricultural systems towards more resilient and sustainable practices.   

At COP28, delegates agreed to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund, established last year at COP27, which aims to support especially vulnerable countries dealing with the effects of climate change. The decision taken in Dubai means that countries can start to pledge resources to it. This is a great starting point for the international community to find concrete means to support the livelihoods of many people, including farmers. 

How did Better Cotton contribute to COP28, and what will you take forward from the conference? 

Firstly, I feel a sense of pride that Better Cotton has been admitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as an observer organisation. This means we can attend all future sessions of COP, take part in the negotiation processes and play an important role in the global efforts to combat climate change. It also reflects Better Cotton’s role in promoting sustainable development within the international community. 

Climate change can only be addressed if is it addressed holistically. To that end, we shared our climate change approach across various sessions and throughout our engagement, as it is key for cotton farming to be seen as part of the solution. For example, we hosted a side-event on how to drive the adoption of climate-smart practices in global value chains.

From the speakers of this session to farmers I met at the conference (kudos to our colleagues at Fairtrade for facilitating the participation of a delegation of farmers), climate finance was brought up time and again as the biggest gap to scale those existing tools. Greater access to resources is the only way to truly enable climate resilience and enhance smallholder livelihoods while enabling a transition to farming systems that produce sustainable crops. 

We have demonstrated our commitment to inclusive collaboration and transparency by signing the United Nations’ International Trade Centre’s (ITC) ambitious ‘Uniting Sustainable Actions’ initiative, which champions the work of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in global supply chains.

Carbon markets were also at the heart of many discussions, but government representatives did not reach an agreement on carbon trading rules (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement). As Better Cotton is developing its own GHG accounting system, it was important for us to understand how international carbon market mechanisms are being developed. 

Finally, considering the significant percentage of emissions emitted by the fashion industry, I was surprised not to see more stakeholders representing this industry. There were, of course, some discussions about decarbonisation of the supply chains, but it remained on the sidelines. Greater focus on this sector is needed at COP to turn ambitious commitments from retailers and brands into legislation and measurable progress. 

Going forward, we already have many ideas on how to contribute to future COPs, and are already discussing new partnerships to mobilise stakeholders in the cotton industry during these important events.  

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Programme Partner Meeting Brings Together Record 486 Participants to Share Knowledge

Joe Morphet on December 15, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Joe Woodruff. Location: Gujarat, India, 2023. Description: Deobhen, a farm worker picking cotton on Better Cotton Farmer Jogeshbhai’s farm in Gujarat, India.

By Graham Bruford, Global Knowledge Manager at Better Cotton

Graham Bruford, Global Knowledge Manager at Better Cotton

Last week we held our annual Programme Partner Meeting over three days, offering a solution-oriented event for the front-line implementers of the Better Cotton Standard System. Bringing together 486 participants, a record for Better Cotton, the event gave our Programme Partners – who play a vital role in leading farmer training and support in the field – the opportunity to learn and interact with partners from other countries, technical experts and Better Cotton staff.  

Across the three days, we held a variety of sessions aimed at providing useful technical material to support our partners in their implementation activities. With a packed agenda, the meeting covered a whole range of topics, centred around three key themes: climate and improved use of data; decent work and sustainable livelihoods; and implementation insights. 

Evan Girvetz, Principal Scientist and Global Program Leader at the Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT, was our first keynote speaker, giving a highly insightful speech on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA). Participants then got the chance to hear about farm data digitalisation, as well as learning about two climate change projects that we are working on together with external organisations and our Programme Partners.  

On the second day, Joyce Poku-Marboah, Senior Project Manager, Child and Forced Labour at Rainforest Alliance, gave the keynote, drawing from her experience working with smallholder farmers in the cocoa sector to discuss improving livelihoods and promoting decent work. Again, we had a series of presentations from external organisations and Programme Partners which highlighted the different projects that are taking place across our programmes to drive Better Cotton’s work on decent work and sustainable livelihoods forwards. 

Lastly, on the final day of the meeting we focused on implementation insights. Our Programme Partners had put forward four key challenges, and we came together to discuss these issues and explore potential solutions. The challenges discussed were: 

  • Increasing organic fertiliser production 
  • Collective action partnerships 
  • Ensuring access to, and availability of, high quality seed while managing seed cost  
  • Addressing farmer reluctance to change their practices 

During this last day, we provided a platform for partners to showcase their best practices to inspire future progress in continuously improving the implementation of the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria.  

Better Cotton’s Programme Partner Knowledge Hub

Several Partners from China, India, Mozambique and Pakistan submitted videos of their innovative practices working alongside Better Cotton Farmers, covering topics including establishing cotton nurseries to combat climate change; accessible innovations; wheat seed production in a cotton-wheat crop rotation area; cotton-mushroom crop rotation; compost creation and use; and alternative incomes for farm workers. Better Cotton also presented its own innovation, the Knowledge Hub, which was developed for Partners and Producer Unit Managers. 

In addition, the day included spotlights on high-performing field staff from several different countries, demonstrating the hard work and commitment of Producer Unit Managers and Field Facilitators in training and supporting farmers to implement improved practices. 

Better Cotton has a network of close to 60 Programme Partners across the world, each of which has their own team of Field Facilitators, Producer Unit Managers and other field staff who work directly with Better Cotton Farmers. In order to make the event accessible to as many field staff as possible, we provided interpretation in eight languages, a record for the organisation. This was a major success, particularly during breakout sessions, as it allowed participants to communicate and express themselves in their own languages without limitations. This resulted in a very enriching discussion, exchange of experiences and proposed solutions to the challenges raised.  

The event was well-received and appreciated by participants, generating a lot of questions and interaction, and it was really helpful to have our partners explaining their learnings and experiences from their participation in the various projects discussed. We look forward to continuing to engage with our partners during our regular Programme Partner webinars over the coming year, and at the face-to-face meeting due to take place in early 2025. 

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Better Cotton Explores the Future of Uzbekistan’s Cotton Sector

Joe Morphet on December 13, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton. Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2023. Description: Better Cotton holds multistakeholder event in Tashkent.

One year on since the launch of its programme in Uzbekistan, Better Cotton has co-hosted an event in its capital, Tashkent, to reflect on its successes and strengthen multistakeholder relations. 

Held in collaboration with the National Commission of Combatting Human Trafficking and Forced Labour and the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association, the organisation welcomed representatives from government, fashion retailers and brands, civil society NGOs, manufacturers, cotton producers, donors and knowledge partners. 

The event, on 12 December, marked the end of a year in which Better Cotton has licensed its first clusters of farms in the country and launched a Roadmap of Sustainability Developments to unite influential stakeholders and advance the cotton sector’s sustainability credentials.  

Speakers included Ilkhom Khaydarov, Chairman of the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association, Marco Mantovanelli, Country Manager for Uzbekistan at the World Bank, and Joachim Fritz, Country Director for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). 

The event explored four key themes: Sustainable Economic Development & Market Access, Regenerative Agriculture; Decent Work and Gender Equality; and Better Cotton’s Principles & Criteria V.3.0. 

An Innovation Marketplace – in which stakeholders presented the latest tools and sustainable practices in cotton production – was held to drive discussion around effective solutions. 

Our multistakeholder event in Tashkent was hugely successful in convening key stakeholders, reflecting on our journey to date and aligning on next steps. There is clear appetite for more sustainable agricultural practices in cotton, both at the farm-level and at the organisations we work with, and we’re committed to delivering this.

Damien Sanfilippo, Senior Director of Programmes, Better Cotton
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Decent Work: How Comprehensive Monitoring in Uzbekistan Enables Our Members to Source Cotton With Confidence

Joe Morphet on December 11, 2023

Photo credit: Boulos Abdelmalek, D&B Graphics. Location: Kafr Saad, Egypt, 2023.
Photo credit: Leyla Shamchiyeva, Better Cotton.

By Leyla Shamchiyeva, Senior Decent Work Manager at Better Cotton

At Better Cotton, one of the core elements of our standard is our Assurance Programme, which ensures that only farms that meet all the core requirements of our Principles and Criteria are able to sell licensed Better Cotton. Our assurance model is critical to ensuring that our Members can source Better Cotton with confidence.

Key to this model is robust monitoring to determine whether farms are complying with our requirements, and a recent monitoring initiative in Uzbekistan provides a great illustration of how our unique approach works to drive continuous improvement.

Once infamous for its labour issues, our programme in Uzbekistan is now a testament to the power of dedicated monitoring and a commitment to decent work. Let’s take a look at how Better Cotton contributed to the cause.

The Challenge and Better Cotton’s Approach

Uzbekistan’s historical struggles with state-sponsored forced and child labour in cotton production are well-documented, and this was a key focus as we set up our programme in the country. It is essential that we are able to verify that farms in the country are meeting our requirements around decent work, which are based on the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) fundamental principles and rights at work, including freedom from child, forced and compulsory labour.

To achieve this, we introduced enhanced decent work monitoring alongside our regular licensing assessment. This dual approach aimed to address the concerns lingering concerns about forced labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector and ensured that only fair labour practices were being implemented.

In-Depth Monitoring and Methodology

The recent monitoring initiative in Uzbekistan was a rigorous process. It involved semi-structured interviews with over 1,000 workers across 12 farms in 7 provinces, providing a diverse and in-depth perspective of the labour situation on the ground.

This process was not only about checking compliance but also understanding the everyday realities of the workers, their challenges, aspirations, and complaints.

Findings and Outcomes

The monitoring findings were illuminating – we found no evidence of systemic state-imposed forced labour or child labour. Our approach went beyond merely identifying labour violations, though. We explored a range of decent work issues, including fair pay, working conditions, and workers’ rights, ensuring a holistic assessment of labour practices.

Although it’s positive that forced labour and child labour have been successfully eradicated from Uzbekistan, Better Cotton’s goal is to also ensure there aren’t any other blind spots when it comes to labour rights.

Proactive Measures and Continuous Improvement

When issues such as wage delays or health and safety concerns were identified, Better Cotton acted swiftly and minor issues were resolved through direct dialogue with farm management. We will ensure that farm workers continue to be compensated fairly through continued decent work monitoring. We envisage that this will initially be carried out annually, with a view to ultimately taking a risk-based approach, which will be triggered when we become aware of an emerging risk.

If found, more serious concerns would be escalated to the labour inspectorate. Better Cotton continues to endorse the ILO’s work to strengthen the capacities of the labour inspectorate, demonstrating our commitment to not just identify but actively address labour issues.

Better Cotton’s Assurance System and Its Importance

Our assurance approach in Uzbekistan is crucial for demonstrating the credibility of our system to the global market and to our Members. Coupled with the launch of our traceability solution, which enables our Members to track Traceable Better Cotton to the sourcing country, the robustness of our monitoring and the transparency of our processes provide confidence for those looking to source licensed Better Cotton from Uzbekistan.

This initiative, carried out in collaboration with the Uzbekistan government, works in unison with our sustainability roadmap for Uzbekistan.

Future Directions and Call to Action

The journey does not end here. We are continually refining our methods and expanding our reach to ensure that every cotton farm in Uzbekistan, and beyond, adheres to our high standards.

Better Cotton Members will have the chance to learn more about our programme in Uzbekistan at our upcoming meeting in Tashkent on December 12, which will convene a wide range of stakeholders, including international organisations, embassies, government, industry actors, civil society, human rights activists, and retailers and brands. This event will offer deeper insights into the transformative changes in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector and our future plans. Keep an eye out for more information about the outcomes of the event in the coming days.

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Better Cotton Backs UN Small Business Initiative at COP28

Joe Morphet on December 6, 2023

Photo credit: COP28/Kiara Worth. Location Expo City Dubai, United Arab Emirates. December 3, 2023. Description: Flags at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on December 3, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Better Cotton has pledged its support to the United Nations’ International Trade Centre’s (ITC) ‘Uniting Sustainable Actions’ initiative, which champions the work of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in global supply chains.

The initiative endeavours to highlight and reward the contributions of SMEs by collating and publicising their sustainability credentials on the UN’s Certified Business Registry – a centralised platform convening multiple supply chain actors.

SMEs benefit from enhanced market access, with scope to generate new business. For retailers and brands, it is an opportunity to identify climate-smart suppliers from emerging markets.

Better Cotton is one of five sustainability standards from within the apparel and textile sectors to have committed to contributing company data to the registry, which will highlight the fundamental role Supplier and Manufacturer Members play in facilitating the supply and demand of more sustainable materials.

It is joined by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Textile Exchange, Oeko-Tex and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP). These organisations will together spotlight more than 60,000 SMEs via the Certified Business Registry, helping boost supply chain transparency and create opportunities for collaboration.

Better Cotton will provide the credentials of Better Cotton Supplier and Manufacturer Members to have aligned with the new Chain of Custody Standard. The standard establishes the requirements Supplier and Manufacturer Members must comply with to trade Traceable Better Cotton, which was introduced to help Better Cotton Farmers access increasingly regulated markets.

Alia Malik, Better Cotton’s Senior Director for Data and Traceability said, “As COP28 gets underway, this commitment to showcasing businesses that source more sustainable materials is another positive step towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.”

As COP28 gets underway, this commitment to showcasing businesses that source more sustainable materials is another positive step towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Alia Malik, Senior Director for Data and Traceability, Better Cotton

Centralising data on sustainability standards will enhance small business visibility and market access, aligning with consumer preferences for sustainable value chains.

Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, ITC

On 11 December, Better Cotton’s Public Affairs Manager, Lisa Ventura, will participate in an event at COP28, hosted by the ITC and the U.S. Department of State, titled Just Transition Through Trade – Empowering Small Enterprises. Lisa will talk about the role of policy in achieving a just transition and share reflections on how the current regulatory regime should support small businesses as well as smallholder farmers to contribute to climate action. To find out more about the event, click here.

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COP28: How Better Cotton Is Representing Cotton Farmers at the Conference of Parties

Joe Morphet on November 30, 2023

Photo credit: COP28/Mahmoud Khaled. Location Expo City Dubai, United Arab Emirates. November 30, 2023. Description: General view of Al Wasl during the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on November 30, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

This year, Better Cotton will be participating in COP28, the 28th session of the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties. We have recently been accepted as an observer to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and will be hosting our own side-event at the conference, as well as speaking at and participating in various other events.

Lisa Ventura, Public Affairs Manager at Better Cotton, and Director of Development Rebecca Owen will be the organisation’s representatives at the conference, which will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ahead of the event, we caught up with Lisa to learn about Better Cotton’s plans and objectives at COP28.

Why is it important for Better Cotton to be at COP28?

Lisa Ventura, Public Affairs Manager at Better Cotton.

By attending COP28, we are demonstrating Better Cotton’s commitment to global collaboration and underscoring the importance of multilateralism in crafting effective and inclusive strategies for climate action.

I also feel that sustainable agriculture has a greater space on the COP agenda this year. To that end, we believe it is important to participate and share how climate-smart agricultural practices play a fundamental role in tackling climate change.

At COP, we aim to craft innovative public-private partnerships to carry our work forward and advocate for nature and farmers to be at the heart of political processes. Climate action must be inclusive to be meaningful.

What are Better Cotton’s objectives at the conference?

Our main objective at COP is advocacy. Better Cotton strives to improve the lives and livelihoods of cotton farmers, farm workers and their communities. Therefore, I want to ensure that no one is left behind in such a high-level event.

Last year, at COP27, the Loss and Damage Fund was established, aiming to provide financial assistance to the most vulnerable nations being impacted by the effects of climate change. Now, the negotiations on this topic will cover who will pay into the fund and how much, as well as who will be eligible to receive funding and on what grounds.

As such, our hope for the conference is that the fund delivers on its promise and provides accessible climate finance tools, especially for smallholder farmers and communities that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change

We constantly see the communities we serve in a vulnerable position due to the climate crisis and we hope the results of COP28 will support a just transition towards sustainable production.

What’s on the agenda for Better Cotton at COP28?

We will kick off our COP28 activities on 4 December with a side-event titled ‘Trade tools for climate action’ which is being hosted by Bonsucro and RSPO, with the support of other sustainability standards including ourselves. We are thrilled to join forces with these organisations to highlight how sustainability standards drive climate action in the Forest, Land, and Agriculture sectors.  

On 9 December, we will speak at a side-event hosted by Partnerships for Forests (P4F) and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, called ‘Growing Ingredients in Harmony with Nature’, where our focus will be on how sustainable standards contribute to promoting responsible sourcing practices.  

Then, on 10 December we are very excited to be hosting our own side-event on ‘Mainstreaming Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices’ as part of the Standards Pavilion by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The session will aim to increase awareness of sustainable agriculture as a robust climate crisis solution, and identify new partners to drive the adoption of climate-smart practices. 

We have a fantastic set of speakers lined up, including: 

  • Rebecca Owen, Director of Development, Better Cotton (Moderator) 
  • Sarah Leugers, Chief Growth Officer, Gold Standard 
  • Hannah Pathak, International Managing Director, Forum for the Future 
  • José Alcorta, Head of Standards, ISO 

Finally, I will also be speaking at the U.S. Center on 11 December as part of the ‘Just Transition through Trade: Empowering Small Enterprises’ event hosted by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the US Department of State, where we will discuss how trade can play a pivotal role in fostering an inclusive and equitable transition aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goals, fostering social, economic, and environmental benefits. Better Cotton has also signed ITC’s pledge ‘Uniting Sustainable Actions’ to contribute to a more resilient, responsible, and inclusive global economy.  

Is there anything you would recommend reading to prepare for COP28?

Yes, so many. Here are a few that I have found insightful and which remind us of the context of previous decisions by COP:  

Is there anything else you’d like to highlight?

If you’re going to be in attendance at COP, please do join us for our side-event on 10 December! Full details are here, and if you’d like more information, please reach out to me via email: [email protected].  

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Better Cotton Celebrates Partnership and Regenerative Agriculture in Pakistan 

Joe Morphet on November 28, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton. Location: Lahore, Pakistan, 2023. Description: Better Cotton Country Director for Pakistan, Hina Fouzia, signs the MoU at a ceremony in Lahore with Chairman of APTMA South, Kamran Arshad.

The Better Cotton Pakistan team recently celebrated a new partnership agreement while hosting a first-of-its-kind regenerative agriculture workshop. 

Better Cotton Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the All Pakistan Textile Mill Association’s (APTMA) Cotton Foundation (ACF) to advance the production of more sustainable cotton in the country.   

The APTMA is a trade organisation representing more than 200 Pakistani textile companies. Its Cotton Foundation was established to drive improvements within the country’s cotton value chain.  

The partnership will help promote the Better Cotton Programme across Pakistan, strengthening ties with key stakeholders as well as capacity to deliver training and resources to cotton farming communities.  

It was appropriate that the agreement was formalised during a multi-day event in Lahore, Pakistan, which included a pivotal workshop on regenerative agriculture and discussions about an impact marketplace. ‘Scope of Regenerative Agriculture and Priorities for an Impact Market’ addressed key factors of what is needed to secure a thriving future for the cotton industry.  

Photo credit: Better Cotton. Location: Lahore, Pakistan, 2023. Description: Emma Dennis, Senior Global Impact Manager, gives her presentation.

Emma Dennis, Senior Global Impact Manager at Better Cotton, and Dr Shafiq Ahmed, a Senior Advisor at Better Cotton, presented on the importance of fundraising and field-level investment to accelerate the adoption of more sustainable practices. Emma outlined the development of Better Cotton’s proposed Impact Marketplace, a framework through which stakeholders could directly finance farm-level activities; Shafiq discussed Better Cotton’s existing Impact Accelerators, a series of environmental and social projects that will underpin the future initiative.   

Other workshop speakers represented the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Soorty Enterprises Pvt Ltd, Pakistan’s largest vertically-integrated denim manufacturer. Retailers and brands, civil society organisations and Better Cotton Programme Partners also attended. Better Cotton’s Country Director for Pakistan, Hina Fouzia, and the Chairman of APTMA South, Kamran Arshad, signed the Memorandum of Understanding between Better Cotton and APTMA during an official ceremony. 

Better Cotton licenses more than half a million farmers in Pakistan, helping them develop their skillsets and implement more sustainable agricultural practices.  

Our event was a huge success, not least because we were able to announce our partnership with the APTMA. Better Cotton is committed to driving improvements at the field-level and understands it can’t do this alone. This agreement will undoubtedly help advance our mission for the benefit of Pakistani cotton farmers.

Hina Fouzia, Better Cotton’s Country Director for Pakistan
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Opportunities in Chad’s Cotton Sector With Multistakeholder Meeting

Joe Morphet on November 22, 2023

Photo credit: Lisa Barratt, Better Cotton. Location: N’Djamena, Chad, 2023. Description: Cotonchad, IDH and Better Cotton convene multistakeholder meeting in N’Djamena.

On 21 November 2023, Cotontchad convened a multistakeholder event in Chad to explore the potential for a Better Cotton Programme.

Better Cotton, Cotontchad, the country’s only aggregator and exporter of cotton, and IDH, which seeks to transform markets through collaborative innovation, convening and investment, gathered key stakeholders from Chad’s cotton industry in the country’s capital, N’Djamena, to discuss the potential for the launch of a new Better Cotton Programme.

The multistakeholder event included participants from national ministries, cotton farmer representatives, private sector actors and civil society organisations, and promoted dialogue on perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in sustainable agriculture in the cotton sector in Chad.

Cotontchad supports around 200,000 smallholder farmers across the country. Through financial aid and the allocation of resources, it has helped increase yields from 17,500 metric tons (MT) in 2019 to more than 145,000 MT in 2022.

We are committed to developing the sustainability credentials of Chadian cotton and are aligned with Better Cotton’s aims. This meeting helped to establish the next steps required to create the right enabling environment to continue to deliver for the country’s cotton farming communities.

Oliver Renson, Chief Executive Officer at Cotontchad

IDH is firmly committed to supporting the sustainable development of the cotton growing region of Chad. Supporting Cotontchad alongside Better Cotton will benefit close to 200,000 farmers, strengthening international market linkages. This will contribute directly to the broader regional development objectives of the Climate Resilient Cotton Landscape which we are convening in Chad.

Pramit Chanda, Global Director Textiles and Manufacturing at IDH

Convenings like this are fundamental to the success of our operations. Not only do they help us forge and strengthen partnerships within the sector and beyond, they also help us learn from like-minded organisations that share our commitment to supporting cotton farming communities.

Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer at Better Cotton
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Developing a Framework to Support Farmers in Adopting Integrated Pest Management

Joe Morphet on November 22, 2023

Photo credit: Better Cotton/Carlos Rudiney. Location: Embrapa Algodão – Campina Grande – Paraíba – Brazil, 2021. Description: Cotton boll weevil on the cotton flower.
Gregory Jean, Standards and Learning Manager at Better Cotton

By Gregory Jean, Standards and Learning Manager at Better Cotton

At Better Cotton, one of our key areas of focus as we look to protect and restore the environment is reducing the use of synthetic pesticides in cotton farming. Pesticides, and in particular Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), can cause harm to both people and the environment. Moreover, the overuse of pesticides can disrupt populations of beneficial insects – natural defences against pests – and increase pesticide resistance. This in turn can cause a vicious cycle which leads to even more pesticide usage.  

In our 2030 Strategy, we outlined our target to reduce the use and risk of synthetic pesticides applied by Better Cotton Farmers and workers by at least 50% by the end of the decade. In order to achieve this, we are continuing to support farmers in adopting an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to crop protection, while strengthening the way our standard system – deals with this topic.  

Integrated Pest Management is an approach which emphasises the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agroecosystems. IPM doesn’t prohibit pesticides completely, but it focuses first on the prevention of pest pressures and then regular, careful monitoring of pest populations. When pest numbers are high enough that control measures are necessary, non-chemical methods such as biopesticides or traps are the first choice, with conventional pesticides used as a last resort.  

Adopting an IPM approach not only produces environmental benefits but can also help farmers reduce input costs and increase profits. Integrated Pest Management practices have already supported Better Cotton Farmers in India in reducing pesticide use – as demonstrated in our recent India Impact Report, overall pesticide use reduced by 53% from the 2014-17 cotton seasons to the 2021/22 season. 

In order to increase the awareness and adoption of IPM practices among farmers over time, we require Producers to develop an Integrated Pest Management strategy under our Principles and Criteria (P&C), our farm-level standard. The revised version of our P&C, published earlier this year, puts even more emphasis on IPM as the basis of crop protection.  

To support farmers in adopting Integrated Pest Management, Better Cotton is currently developing an IPM planning and monitoring framework. This framework will support cotton farmers, associations, extension agents and organisations that are working to foster the adoption of better farming practices in Better Cotton programmes. Building on an IPM Ladder which is being developed by Pesticide Action Network UK our framework will be used to:  

  • Identify strengths and weaknesses in current IPM practice  
  • Plan activities to promote innovative IPM techniques and increase their adoption 
  • Monitor the uptake and efficiency of IPM practice adoption and implementation 
  • Provide a common understanding of IPM best practice and a framework for improvement 

We are currently testing and adapting this IPM framework through the development of pilot projects in 3 countries: India, Pakistan and Mozambique. These pilots are running over the course of the Principles and Criteria revision transition, which is taking place throughout the 2023/2024 cotton season.  

These pilots aim to:  

  • Adapt the IPM practices under the framework to local contexts through collaboration between IPM experts and partners participating in pilot projects 
  • Identify gaps in capacity-strengthening and data management activities to support progress against the framework 
  • Develop a reporting mechanism to monitor progress on IPM uptake for analysis and reporting in countries 

Once these pilots come to a close and the adaptation and testing of the IPM framework is complete, the results will be presented to other countries. The framework will then be scaled up from next season onwards, with Better Cotton providing support to partners during this process.

To find out more about the revision of our Principles and Criteria, click here.

 

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Better Cotton Expands in West Africa with New Côte d’Ivoire Programme

Joe Morphet on November 13, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Morgan Ferrar. Location: Ratane village, Mecuburi District, Nampula Province, Mozambique. 2019. Description: Cotton being picked.
  • Better Cotton aims to support 200,000 cotton farmers across the country in the first five years.
  • The Professional Association of Cotton Companies of Côte d’Ivoire (APROCOT-CI) will oversee the deployment of resources and upskilling of farming communities, helping improve the environment and their economic outlook.
  • Better Cotton earlier this year convened a multistakeholder network in the city of Abidjan to discuss sustainability challenges and opportunities facing the agriculture sector in Côte d’Ivoire.

Better Cotton has announced the opening of a new programme in Côte d’Ivoire and committed to supporting 200,000 domestic cotton farmers in its first five years. 

The new field-level programme will offer training and resources to farming communities across the country, a first step towards helping them produce more sustainable cotton. 

The Professional Association of Cotton Companies of Côte d’Ivoire (APROCOT-CI) will serve as Better Cotton’s Strategic Partner for Côte d’Ivoire, overseeing efforts to improve the climate resilience and economic outlook of farming communities. 

APROCOT-CI represents the interests of cotton companies across the country, from farms to gins, and comprises six member organisations: CIDT, Ivoire Coton, Global Cotton SA, CO.I.C-SA, SICOSA 2.0, and Seco SA. These organisations will serve as Better Cotton Programme Partners, providing training and resources to cotton communities to enable social and environmental improvements. 

The partnership underscores our organisations’ shared commitment to creating a positive impact in the cotton industry, with a primary focus on improving the livelihoods of smallholder cotton farmers. By integrating Better Cotton’s sustainable farming practices and APROCOT-CI’s local expertise, we aim to enhance cotton yields, reduce environmental impact, and improve social and economic outcomes for farmers in the region.

Jean François Toure, President of APROCOT-CI

APROCOT-CI submitted a Declaration of Interest to Better Cotton last year, outlining national interest in starting a Better Cotton programme. In March of this year, Better Cotton hosted a multistakeholder event in the city of Abidjan to understand the scope for impact ahead of opening a programme.  

Better Cotton is committed to building upon its presence across Africa to enable smallholder farmers to mitigate climate change and adopt a continuous improvement approach to sustainable agricultural practice. With a membership network spanning farm to retailer and brand level, Better Cotton is strategically positioned to meet supply with increasing demand.  

Opening a new programme in Côte d’Ivoire is an exciting step as Better Cotton bolsters its presence across the continent. Our partnership with APROCOT-CI will be fundamental to the delivery of our work in the country, helping domestic cotton farmers to reap the environmental and economic rewards of more sustainable cotton production. We are grateful for APROCOT-CI’s support and the commitment they have shown to this cause.

Alan McClay, Chief Executive Officer at Better Cotton
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Why Life for Millions of Smallholder Farmers Rests on a New EU Directive

Joe Morphet on November 9, 2023

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Khaula Jamil. Location: Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, 2019. Description: Cotton Plant
Photo credit: Jay Louvion/Better Cotton. Location: Geneva, 2021. Description: Alan McClay.

By Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton

This article was first published by the World Economic Forum on 7 November 2023

The ordered streets of Brussels may feel like a million miles from the cotton fields of India or the cocoa plantations of Ghana, but smallholder farmers in countries like these could stand to be majorly impacted by a pending directive from European policymakers.  

Ambitions of the European Union to improve human rights and the environmental impacts of large EU companies’ global value chains, hang on proposed changes to the much-anticipated Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).  

In particular, proposed amendments by the European Parliament could see smallholder farmers acquire the legal right to receive a “living income” for their role in production. Such a move would represent a hugely significant advancement in improving smallholder livelihoods.  

However, in the absence of this amendment, smallholders stand to be increasingly vulnerable in their role as suppliers, and their access to global markets could be at stake.  
 
The world’s 570 million smallholders play a fundamental role in today’s global agriculture systems and textile industries. For a crop like cotton, smallholders account for more than 90% of farmers, globally. This affords them a central role in the future of the global fashion sector, which is projected to post almost double digit growth over the coming years.   
 
Yet, low farm-gate prices coupled with systemic barriers to development, and increasing production challenges onset by climate change, prevent smallholders from being fairly rewarded. Many face economic precarity as a result, which, as well as being a manifold injustice, jeopardises the growth prospects of the sectors in which they play such a critical role.   

When set up for success, however, smallholder farming provides a pathway for communities to escape poverty. At the same time, societies accrue wider economic benefits, with climate-resilient smallholders holding the key to food security.  

Hence the importance of the proposed amendment that companies “be responsible for using their influence to contribute to an adequate standard of living in value chains”, including by ensuring a living income for farmers, in addition to the existing EU alignment on a living wage provision.  

Clearly, as with a living wage for workers, a living income represents the minimum commitment for the rights of individual farmers and their families. But it also establishes a founding principle for a fair and sustainable agricultural sector at large.  

Assuming the proposed amendments to CSDDD are passed in full, the key question moves to how its provisions can best be enacted. In particular, what does it mean for companies to use their “influence” to help address the structural poverty that lies behind smallholders’ livelihood struggles?    
 
Acknowledging that they have such influence is the first step. The procurement practices of companies carry huge implications for small producers. Because of the multitude of intermediaries in modern supply chains, however, these implications are often obscured or – in some cases – intentionally ignored. 

It is therefore vital to improve transparency so that in the future corporate buyers (and others) can have a more accurate picture of where their raw material purchases originate and the socio-economic conditions of the smallholders in question.   

So, once companies know who they are sourcing from, what can they do to ensure livelihoods are improved?  

The answer is ‘plenty’. Increasing smallholders’ human capital through education, training and skill development marks one major contribution. Others include assisting them in gaining access to affordable services, finance and resources, supporting their capacity for collective action and advocacy and, where necessary, helping smallholders to diversify. 

As the Living Income Roadmap from the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) makes clear, the precise nature of these interventions will differ from context to context. The main issue curbing a Caribbean fruit farmer’s income may be lack of capital, for example, while for a corn producer in Somalia it could be the increased frequency of drought.  

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Khaula Jamil Location: Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, 2019 Description: Farm-worker Ruksana Kausar with her tree nursery, part of a project developed by Better Cotton Implementing Partner, WWF, Pakistan.

Whatever the particular context, however, two overarching principles apply to all corporate living income strategies.  
 
The first is to take a clear-eyed view of where power lies. In the case of cotton, for instance, smallholder producers might be locked into a hyper-local system controlled by individual ginners. In other commodities, it could be a processor, wholesaler or farm-gate buyer. Once identified, companies need to find ways to work with these influential actors.  
 
The second principle follows a similar vein. Smallholders are one of many actors in a system, and their incomes are determined by how that system functions. Is data readily available, for instance? Are land tenures fairly administered? Are women or minority groups fully included? The more inclusive and equitable the system, the more beneficial the outcomes for all.  
 
Companies should therefore use their convening power to bring together as many players in the system as possible (think: regional or municipal governments, other buyers, technical experts, farmer groups, etc) to change how that system works. 
 
This collaborative approach goes as much for the local level as for the macro; so from helping identify living income gaps, and monitoring them, for example, right down to delivering practical income-enhancing ideas on the ground. 

Including the right to a living income in the European Directive is critical to meeting the legislation’s core intent. Its omission would only serve to shift even greater responsibility onto smallholders and potentially reduce their access to global markets, or even in future – weakening their livelihoods and, as a consequence, the sectors that depend on their production.  

As policymakers deliberate, meanwhile, responsible companies should bring their voices to bear and actively advocate in favour of a living income for smallholders. Not only that, it behoves them to demonstrate how responsible procurement can realise such an outcome in practice. That starts with placing smallholder rights at the centre of the process – whatever language lawmakers in Brussels do or don’t adopt.     

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Introducing Better Cotton Traceability

Joe Morphet on November 2, 2023

By Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton 

Today is a significant day for Better Cotton, as we officially launch our traceability solution. Our solution enables our Members to source Better Cotton from a specific country with confidence by tracing it to the country level. Against the backdrop of growing demand from consumers and legislators for transparency around the origin of raw materials, this is an increasingly important priority for retailers and brands.

Cotton supply chains are particularly complex. The geographical journey of the cotton in a t-shirt can span three continents before it reaches the shop floor, often changing hands seven times or more, with agents, intermediaries and traders operating at every stage. And there’s no one clear path – cotton bales from different countries can be spun into the same yarn and sent to multiple different mills to be woven into fabric.

This makes it challenging to trace the cotton in any given product back to its source, hampering supply chain transparency. Our solution aims to make this transparency a reality. It will drive supply chain visibility in the cotton sector and give our Members the ability to incorporate these new insights into their sourcing activities.  

By keeping physical Better Cotton separate from other types of cotton in its journey from farm to gin, and monitoring transaction data through the Better Cotton Platform, we are now able to trace Better Cotton moving along the value chain. We can currently track it from the brand or retailer back to its country of origin, and we have ambitions to go further.

Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Eugénie Bacher. Harran, Turkey, 2022. Cotton going through a ginning machine, Mehmet Kızılkaya Tekstil.

With the market demanding more and more information from Better Cotton Farmers, making sure that they can continue to access these markets and generate sustainable livelihoods from their cotton is a priority for us. At the same time, traceability will also enable us to better direct investment to the field level to support farmers in driving sustainability improvements and increasing their yields.

Similarly, as stakeholders worldwide seek more clarity over the social and environmental challenges associated with textile supply chains, traceability allows retailers and brands to justify and explain where their investments are going, and what kind of result they are contributing to.

We see this as an extraordinary opportunity for us to channel information. By funnelling data on farmers’ results and impact in the field to retailers and brands through the chain of traceability, we can in turn also enable the investment and impact back to the farmers in the other direction, rewarding farmers who are driving sustainability in the field. Impact, at the end of the day, is value. Going forward, this will form the foundation of our vision of a Better Cotton ‘Impact Marketplace’ to improve farmer livelihoods and accelerate sustainability progress, while making verified outcome data and claims more accessible.

I’d like to thank everyone involved in making Better Cotton traceability a reality, from the Retailer & Brand Traceability Panel which invested in and advised on the creation of the solution, to all of the organisations involved in the pilot projects which tested new technologies and chain of custody models in Mozambique, Turkey, Uzbekistan and India, to all of our team who have worked so hard on this over the past few years.

I’m excited about this new chapter for the organisation, as we drive towards our goal of deepening our impact on cotton farming and communities, and I can’t wait to hear from our Members as they start sourcing Traceable Better Cotton. If you’d like to find out more about our unique traceability solution, head to this link.

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