Cotton is used by nearly everyone across the world on a daily basis. Cotton production alone supports the livelihoods of more than 250 million people. Cotton is a natural and versatile fibre; it grows well in difficult environments and it is fully renewable.
Yet the future of cotton is vulnerable to challenges that include climate change, gender inequality, labour shortages, water scarcity and pest pressure. Today, less than 25% of cotton is grown in a way that actively works towards protecting people and the environment.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is striving to transform cotton production from the ground up. BCI is a global not-for-profit organisation and the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. BCI focuses on promoting the livelihoods of cotton farming communities through the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices. We want cotton farmers and farm workers to become more resilient to unpredictable climate conditions and be able to make a decent living from farming.
To achieve our mission, we work with expert on-the-ground partners to deliver training and support to more than two million cotton farms in 23 countries. Farmers and farm workers in the BCI programme receive training on how to use water efficiently, care for the health of the soil and natural habitats, minimise the impact of harmful crop protection practices, preserve fibre quality and apply decent work principles. The cotton grown by BCI Farmers ¬– known as Better Cotton – accounts for 22% of global cotton production.
Sourcing Better Cotton
BCI also works with more than 2,000 member organisations across the cotton supply chain – from farm to civil society to retail – to ensure there is continuous demand and supply of Better Cotton. In 2020, BCI’s Retailer and Brand Members sourced 1.7 million tonnes of cotton as Better Cotton, a 13% increase on 2019. It is noteworthy to mention that some of BCI’s retailers and brand members are well-known names, such as Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M), Levi Strauss & Co., C&A AG, Ikea Supply AG but also several home-grown Swiss brands such as Migros and Coop as well as many traders members of STSA like Louis Dreyfus Company, Ecom Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd. and Paul Reinhart AG among others.
BCI’s demand-driven funding model means that when BCI Retailer and Brand Members source cotton as Better Cotton it directly translates into increased investment in training for cotton farmers on more sustainable practices.
In this unique model, the merchants and traders, some of which are members of STSA, play a unique role in facilitating the sourcing of cotton from more responsible sources and enabling it to reach the markets of the world’s consumer brands and retailers.
Developing Traceability
Since BCI’s inception more than a decade ago, we have used a Mass Balance Chain of Custody model, which has enabled the rapid growth of the amount of cotton sourced as Better Cotton while at the same time facilitating farmers to implement better practices to produce more sustainably (Mass Balance is a widely used volume tracking system that allows Better Cotton to be substituted or mixed with conventional cotton provided equivalent volumes are sourced as Better Cotton.) But as the world progresses, BCI recognises that it is time to explore going beyond this model to offer full traceability of Better Cotton and deliver more value to more farmers and members. We are currently working on a new, traceable chain of custody model to complement our existing Mass Balance system.
The Future
BCI will continue to collaborate with other sustainable cotton standards and initiatives, while conducting and commissioning research to assess the effectiveness and impact of the BCI programme around the world. BCI is a learning organisation, and we look to continually strengthen our Better Cotton Standard System to ensure it continues to address cotton production challenges, contributes to improved farmer and farm worker livelihoods, and meets the sourcing needs of members.
