Better Cotton

Cotton's farm-level production standard has been strengthened with a sharper regenerative agriculture focus, following BCI's release of Principles and Criteria v.3.2. The updated standard introduces targeted improvements to selected indicators, enhances auditability across diverse growing contexts, and advances BCI's broader ambition to operate as a fully regenerative standards system.

Cascale has unveiled version 3.11 of its Higg MS), introducing fresh cotton datasets and new home furnishing material categories. The update advances data accuracy, improves comparability and supports evidence-driven choices across the consumer goods sector.

A coalition including Better Cotton, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Australia, and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has issued new guidance on responsible life-cycle assessment use. The publication From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right calls for LCAs to be applied alongside verified field data to deliver credible, transparent, and farmer-informed sustainability progress.

The Better Cotton Initiative has introduced a traceable product label, launched on World Cotton Day, aimed at helping retailers and brands communicate verified sustainability claims. The label coincides with a refreshed identity and annual report that underscores measurable progress in farmer incomes, pesticide reduction, and women’s empowerment across global cotton-producing communities.

A new ten-year report from Better Cotton maps the evolution of cotton farming practices in the United States using producer-reported data. The report identifies regional contrasts and commonalities in areas such as soil health, biodiversity, irrigation, and pest management across the Southeast, Mid-South, Southwest, and Far West cotton regions.

Better Cotton has announced a bold pivot: it is embedding regenerative agriculture as a core part of its standard from 2025. The move is aimed at driving tangible improvements in soil health, biodiversity, and farmer livelihoods across cotton-producing regions.

In today's world people move from one outrage to the next with as much ease as they swipe left over to the next reel. Last year’s Brazil cotton controversy has resurfaced not only because it has been a year to the revelation, but also because Better Cotton is itself pursuing the thread. And, the loopholes in Better Cotton's damage control exercise that was pointed out by Earthsight remain yawning.

The world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton, Better Cotton, has strategically transitioned to become a certification scheme, underscoring its commitment to maintain highest standards of sustainability and transparency in the cotton industry.

The Cotton 2040 project of the charity Forum for the Future was a platform which aimed to accelerate progress and maximise the impact of existing sustainable cotton initiatives. A year after the platform published its Impact Report, texfash speaks to Neil Walker, Senior Sustainability Strategist, about the project's legacy.

Embroiled in controversies in recent times, Better Cotton will soon launch a new product label with evolving traceability capabilities to enable its network of retailers and brands to showcase their commitment to sustainable cotton production.