CottonConnect’s REEL Cotton programmes achieved positive results in 2023–24, reducing the use of chemical pesticides, chemical fertilisers, and water, while increasing farmers’ yields and incomes. With increased profits, farmers can invest in their farms, enhancing long-term resilience.
IMPACT REPORT 2024: The just-released CottonConnect Impact Report 2024 analyses how the outcomes of sustainable agricultural practices in the REEL Cotton Programme translated into reducing GHG emissions.
- Farm level irrigation and reductions in fertiliser contributed to a saving potential of 1.20 kg CO2 eq., or 35.39%, per kg fibre.
- The long-term impact of these reductions will be reflected in healthier farming communities, who make more income, based on competitiveness and attractiveness, and the obvious benefits of a more sustainable supply chain for everyone.
- CottonConnect imparted agricultural training programmes to improve the sustainability of cotton production and support farmers’ livelihoods.
- In the cotton growing year 2023–24, CottonConnect trained over 452,000 farmers in sustainable agricultural practices in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, and Türkiye, increasing farmers’ yield and income whilst reducing environmental impacts.
- The cotton grown is directly traceable through supply chain linkages into brands’ supply chains. In 2023–24, 193,468 MT lint cotton was traced through CottonConnect’s traceability software tool TraceBale.
BENEFITS OF THE REEL COTTON PROGRAMME: CottonConnect introduced its REEL Regenerative Code in 2021 and trained over 250,000 farmers on more regenerative agriculture practices in 2023–24. Regenerative practices include those that restore the soil health and ecosystems needed to support cotton cultivation, thereby increasing resilience for cotton farming communities.
- Positive benefits from regenerative agriculture practices are recorded in REEL Regenerative and organic regenerative programmes.
- An LCA study demonstrated the benefits of the sustainable practices outlined by the REEL Cotton Code of Conduct in reducing the negative impact of cotton cultivation on the environment across all impact categories, with a climate change saving potential of 35%.
- Cotton procurement and processing of all REEL Cotton and REEL Regenerative programmes are traced through TraceBale, with an increase in cotton lint being traced in 2023–24.
- Women Climate Change Ambassadors have each trained 30 farmers each, imparting climate change mitigation knowledge to over 1,200 women, confirming the pilot’s training model.
- Organic cotton programmes demonstrate the potential for farmers converting to organic farming practices to make profits by reducing input costs and gradually improving yields.
- Regular on-site soil testing is needed to measure the impact of sustainable agriculture practices on improving soil health.
ABOUT: CottonConnect is a company with a social purpose to reimagine cotton supply chains and help textile producers and farmers enjoy better livelihoods. It helps brands access more sustainable cotton and other natural fibres to create transparent, traceable, and resilient supply chains that will continue to deliver the best raw materials.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Regenerative agriculture is certainly the new focus for the fashion sector and beyond. We launched our first REEL Regenerative Code back in 2021 and for the past four years we have been working to understand how these practices can be best applied in the smallholder and medium-sized farm context. This is based on a philosophy of ‘think global, act local’. We trained over 250,000 farmers on more regenerative agriculture practices in 2023-24 and have been able to measure demonstrable positive outcomes from this farming system, including soil health improvements and greater biodiversity. Our move to a REEL Standard in April 2025 will further support the robustness of programme validation and acceptable claims about these outcomes.
— Alison Ward
Chief Executive Officer
CottonConnect
