Updated Action Plan on Issues in Brazil’s Matopiba Region

In June 2024, Better Cotton published an action plan to address concerns about cotton production in Brazil’s Matopiba region. This followed an April 2024 report highlighting issues related to land use, deforestation, and community impact linked to Better Cotton licensed farms in the state of Bahia. 

While none of the licensed farms breached our field-level standard, and there was no direct link between these farms and the reported issues, we recognised the dynamics related to land use that pose a sustainability risk beyond the scope of our voluntary standard, specifically with reference to the expansion of multi-crop agribusinesses. We also noted the challenges in the surrounding areas and acknowledged that Better Cotton can help address these issues. 

Since then, we have made meaningful progress in some areas and faced challenges that required us to adapt in others due to the complex operating context. Nevertheless, we are committed to continuing this important work, as systematic change can only be achieved through collaboration and perseverance. 

To date, we have: 

1. Commissioned two independent reviews, which confirmed no breaches of our field-level standard on licensed farms but highlighted broader challenges in the region. 

2. Engaged directly with local communities to better understand concerns and the role we can play in addressing them.  

3. Worked closely with our strategic partner, ABRAPA – the Brazilian Cotton Growers’ Association – to define areas for improvement and deepen collaboration across industries and stakeholders.  

4. Made progress on our action plan around four key areas: engaging local communities, conducting due diligence at the agribusiness/large commercial farm level, collaborating with a multistakeholder network and realigning standards with ABRAPA. 

Now, six months on since our last update, we provide further detail on the progress we have made across the four areas.

To find out more, please see the document attached below.

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