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Better Cotton Calls for Continued Commitment in Annual Report
Alexandra Harrell
6 min read
Better Cotton’s production was up last growing season despite having fewer licensed farmers, as outlined in its annual report.
The report highlights the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative’s global influence and program growth while also serving as a comprehensive overview of the organization’s field-level impact from the 2022-23 (July 22-August 2023) growing season, the 2023-24 (January 2023-March 2024) financial year and general company-wide highs and lows.
At Better Cotton, we’re proud to be part of the positive change toward a better world, providing time and again that sustainable practices in cotton farming can drive meaningful change for farmers, agricultural communities and individuals across the supply chain,” Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, said in the report. “We also know that as we navigate these complex times, the need to accelerate our scale and impact has never been more urgent—and we’re ready to meet this challenge head-on.”
For the 2022-23 growing season, Better Cotton worked with nearly 60 program partners to deliver training and support to over 2.43 million farmers in 22 countries. Of those 2.4 million-plus farmers who received training, more than 2.13 million received a license to sell their cotton as “Better Cotton.” These farmers produced 5.47 million metric tons of Better Cotton—representing 22 percent of global cotton production.
“While Better Cotton production remained consistent during the 2022-23 season, we saw a marginal drop in the number of licensed Better Cotton Farmers. This was mainly due to external factors, like the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022,” McClay said. “Looking ahead, we aim to strengthen our presence in these areas and elsewhere. In Africa, we are currently in talks with Benin and Cameroon to launch Better Cotton Programmes.”
Brazil continued to supply the largest share of Better Cotton in 2023, making a “record-breaking season” for the country with 2.64 million metric tons of Better Cotton lint produced—up from the previous year’s 1.97 million metric tons. Yields in India also increased, jumping from around 863,000 metric tons in the last growing season to more than 917,000 metric tons.
In contrast, Pakistan’s farmers’ outputs dropped significantly, from 817,000 metric tons in the 2021-22 season to 305,000 the following year, as a result of environmental issues as well as programmatic restructuring. Africa’s production also decreased from around 630,000 metric tons to 442,000, primarily due to a Jassid pest infestation in Mali, which affected up to 50 percent of the country’s cotton crop, the not-for-profit reported.
“As we expand our global footprint, I’m impressed by our Programme Partners’ ambition and resilience in driving on-the-ground progress. Their efforts toward helping cotton farmers implement more sustainable practices not only help farmers produce more equitable and sustainable cotton but also encourages the broader supply chain to embrace responsible practices,” Lena Staafgard, Better Cotton’s chief operating officer, said in the report. “It’s these daily actions that add up to a big impact, bringing us closer to our vision of a world where all cotton production is sustainable.”
Despite a “challenging geopolitical and economic climate,” member sourcing in 2023 wasn’t far off from 2022’s results: 343 retailers and brands sourced 2.5 million metric tons of Better Cotton in 2023. Even though a 7 percent adjustment to its membership fee and an increase of 19 percent in the Better Cotton Platform access fee were implemented last year, membership grew by 5.6 percent as the organization welcomed 311 new members, including 37 retailers and brands and 264 suppliers and manufacturers.
This may be due to the various initiatives announced throughout 2023.
The Better Cotton membership team organized 156 events last year—spanning training and awareness workshops as well as ginner-centric efforts—which were attended by over 5,700 participants. Over 120 members attended Better Cotton field trips in five regions, reaching 500-plus professionals on top of Better Cotton members.
The group’s global reach also grew with new programs cropping up in Spain and Côte d’Ivoire, the latter in partnering with the Professional Association of Cotton Companies of Côte d’Ivoire to support 200,000 farmers over five years. The India Impact Report, published last September, showed notable progress in reducing pesticides (53 percent) and overall costs (15.6 percent) on Better Cotton Farms.
“On a global level, and within the textile and apparel sector, there have been many significant shifts over the past few years. In the face of these challenges, Better Cotton retains an engaged member community who, year after year, demonstrates their commitment to supporting sustainable cotton production and its positive social and environmental impacts,” Eva Benavidez Clayton, Better Cotton’s senior director of membership and supply chain, said in the report. “Thank you to all our members around the global, totaling more than 2,700 in 2023 from 69 countries. We look forward to continuing our work together as Better Cotton drives deeper impact and evolves to meet sector demands.”
Tracking toward the organization’s 2030 targets, the Better Cotton Council approved five “impact targets” last January as key drivers for ensuring those goals are reached. Those initiatives include addressing soil health and regenerative agriculture efforts, sustainable livelihoods, gender equality, climate change mitigation and pesticide use.
“Sustainable and resilient livelihoods and regenerative agriculture go hand-in-hand. Regenerative agriculture helps protect the natural resources that farming communities depend on, leading to more profitable and long-term benefits,” Natalie Ernst, Better Cotton’s farm sustainability standards senior manager, said in the report. “In turn, when farming communities thrive, they are better positioned to adopt practices that enhance soils, biodiversityand water cycles, creating a cycle of growth and resilience for both people and planet.”
In response to the changing legislative landscape, Better Cotton has been workshopping its Claims Framework, which will be published in 2025 in reflection of these “new realities.” As part of this, complemented by a “robust approach to assurance,” the nonprofit is developing a new label that will enable brands sourcing Physical Better Cotton to market products to consumers as containing Better Cotton for the first time. The organization said it’s in the process of evolving its assurance program to an accredited certification scheme, where independent third parties will perform all licensing decisions.
“Better Cotton is at an exciting juncture and if there is one key takeaway from 2023, it is the need for us to come together and build on the momentum we’ve created,” McClay said. “The proven solutions we’ve developed have taken us far, but continued commitment and investment in cotton farming communities are essential to accelerate the wider impact of our world needs.”
