It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable

Better Cotton

Greenwashing / State of Circularity

26 April 2023

5 minutes

Activists dressed as 'revolting mannequins' outside a Zara store in Bangkok, demand that the company 'Detox' now. For the new report. Greenpeace looked at the practices of all 29 Detox committed brands, and selected those which use a product marketing label which have a defined slogan, using positive terms such as “eco” “green” or “cares” such as Join Life (Zara), or Conscious (H&M).

Brands Hijacking Circularity with Misleading Narratives, No Attempt to Slow Down Fashion, Says Report

A Greenpeace report that hammers at the self-assessed ‘green’ claims by some top brands asserts that sustainability has become a communication goal without putting credible measures in place to realign their linear business models.

Staff Writer

Cotton Standards / Revisions

21 April 2023

3 minutes

From a social standpoint, the revised standard will place stronger onus on driving impact and promoting wellbeing in farming communities, supported by more robust requirements surrounding decent work and gender equality, in addition to the inclusion of a new principle: smallholder livelihoods.

Better Cotton Revises Principles & Criteria to Suit Local Realities, Takes Farmer-Centric Approach

In its bid to remain an effective tool to drive continuous improvement and deliver sustainability impact at field-level, non-profit Better Cotton has revised its Principles & Criteria (P&C) to drive continuous improvement and deliver sustainability impact at field level.

Staff Writer

Traceability / Indian Cotton

19 April 2023

4 minutes

There are over one million Better Cotton farmers in India, and it is one of the largest producers of Better Cotton globally. However, domestic supply chains are amongst the most complex in the world and are far more fragmented than in other regions.

Better Cotton's Traceability Technologies to Track Indian Cotton’s Journey from Field to Shelf

Better Cotton is piloting innovative traceability technologies through India’s cotton value chain to provide end-to-end visibility. The new traceability framework will allow greater flexibility and visibility of the physical flow of cotton through supply chains as the network grows.

Staff Writer

Climate Action / Impact Areas

4 April 2023

2 minutes

As part of its 2030 Strategy, Better Cotton has developed Impact Targets spanning soil health, women’s empowerment, pesticides, sustainable livelihoods, and climate change mitigation to help map out the journey ahead.

Better Cotton Beefs up Climate Strategy, Adds 4 New Impact Areas

In a bid to help increase yields and market access for smallholder farmers, promote decent work, reduce inequality, and drive women’s empowerment in cotton production, Better Cotton has come up with four new ‘Impact Targets’.

Staff Writer

Cotton Standards / Chain of Custody

22 October 2022

3 minutes

The proposed new standard is based on the final recommendations made by the Chain of Custody Task Force that has worked to examine and recommend changes to version 1.4 of the CoC Guidelines in order to provide opportunities to physically trace Better Cotton. The Task Force includes Better Cotton’s member representatives from across the supply chain, including retailers and brands, ginners, spinners and traders.

Better Cotton Goes Whole Hog on Traceability, to Introduce New Chain of Custody Model

Better Cotton is readying up a new Chain of Custody feature that will introduce 'full traceability' in the way the system works. The public consultation on the new standard is currently live, with the new benchmarks set to be launched later this year itself.

Staff Writer

Farmer Incomes / Better Cotton

19 October 2022

3 minutes

Better Cotton seeks to create and sustain a thriving cotton sector by developing the capacity of cotton farmers to care for the environment, protect and restore nature and improving their climate resilience, while respecting human rights and improving livelihoods. To achieve this, it works primarily with programme partners at the farm level to enable farmers to adopt more sustainable practices, for example better managing pesticides and fertilisers.

Seasonal Profitability for Better Cotton Farmers in India Up by $82 Per Acre

A study that examined the impact of the Better Cotton programme in India has found significant benefits for farmers in the region. Better Cotton Farmers were able to reduce costs, improve overall profitability, and safeguard the environment more effectively, compared with other farmers.

Staff Writer

Sustainability Reporting / New Framework

8 October 2022

3 minutes

The Delta Framework provides a standardised way for commodity sectors to collect farm-level data, monitor and report progress on sustainability, and it enables a shared view of results across sector, while helping to create a common language for sustainability in agriculture. The use of a common framework can benefit multiple stakeholders.

Delta Framework Launched by Better Cotton and Partners to Harmonise Sustainability Reporting

A Delta Framework has been launched by Better Cotton and partners to arrive at a harmonised approach to sustainability performance reporting, designed to support business, governments and not-for-profit actors alike in quantifying and communicating their progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Staff Writer

Under Cloud / Sustainability Claims

13 September 2022

4 minutes

A dress that H&M sells under its 'Conscious' tag in Hong Kong. The investigation by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets revealed that H&M offered their products using general terms such as “ecodesign” and “conscious“ without immediately specifying clearly the sustainability benefits with the claim.

Now, Netherlands Trashes H&M's Sustainability Claims; Decathlon Indicted Too; BCI Tag Not Enough

Clothing retail chain H&M and sporting goods retail chain Decathlon have made commitments to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) promising to adjust or no longer use sustainability claims on their clothes and/or websites. The two chains have committed to informing consumers more clearly in order to minimise the risk of misleading practices involving sustainability claims.

Special Correspondent

Report

Development / Call for Action

3 August 2022

2 minutes

The Call for Action commits signatories to continue seeking solutions that will enable these countries to improve competitiveness, achieve higher yields and greener production, and add value both to fibre and by-products.

Call For Action to Build a Resilient Cotton Sector Especially in Least Developed Countries

Better Cotton has joined the Partners’ Conference of the Aird for Trade focused on building a more resilient cotton sector. Jointly organised by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), the event focused cotton’s contribution to mitigating climate change, reducing poverty, enhancing food security, and the creation of jobs, especially for women and youth.

Staff Writer