The Better Cotton Initiative or simply Better Cotton, is the world's largest cotton sustainability program.
This initiative aims to create and spread better cotton. That means more sustainable and equitable management throughout the long supply chain that involves and brings benefits and improvements to all stakeholders, small farmers, small farming communities, farms, brands and retailers, consumers, and governments.
The principles and criteria outlining the overall definition of Better Cotton include:
- crop protection, with the development of alternative pest control techniques to reduce dependence on conventional pesticides;
- more sustainable water management to improve yields, strengthen resilience to climate change, minimize negative impacts on water quality;
- healthy soil, which leads to larger and higher quality crops, reduces the need for expensive fertilizers, pesticides and labor costs, and can more easily withstand climate change;
- conservation and enhancement of biodiversity on their land and adoption of practices that minimize negative impacts on habitats in and around farms;
- better practices during harvesting, storage, and transport of cottonseed to avoid contamination and ensure better fiber quality leading to a better price for farmers;
- assurance of decent working conditions for all workers;
- managing a system that incorporates the necessary policies and procedures to ensure that they meet the Better Cotton principles and criteria.
