Sustainable Cotton
We work with partners to advance sustainable cotton production
From sourcing certified cotton to promoting industry-best practice within and beyond our value chain, we work proactively to integrate sustainability into our everyday cotton operations
Our Approach
As a natural fiber, cotton has significant sustainability advantages over synthetic alternatives such as polyester. Cotton supply chains, however, are not without challenges. These relate to decent work and economic development, human rights and gender equality, responsible production and water scarcity.
Since these challenges mostly arise in agriculture, a stage of the supply chain that we do not directly manage, we partner with others to address them, particularly with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Association of Cotton Merchants in Europe (ACME) and Cotton Made in Africa (CMiA).
Promoting the BCI’s comprehensive sustainability standards, working with partners to improve supply chain practices through local projects, and purchasing more BCI-certified cotton are the main ways in which we influence production methods.
CASE STUDY
Training 10,000 Farmers in India
In 2018, we partnered with the Better Cotton Growth and Innovation Fund and with Indian cotton ginner Puneet Enterprises, to share sustainable agricultural practices with 10,000 smallholder cotton farmers in Maharashtra, India.
The training covered techniques such as intercropping for diversity, proper use of fertilizers and pest control methods, and focused on building awareness of the key role that women can play in agriculture, aiming to empower them to participate more fully in local farming activities.
