Better Cotton for more sustainable garments
Cotton is a natural fibre that is soft to the skin and easily printable. It grows in subtropical regions, and when not properly cultivated, it requires abundant chemical inputs and irrigation. That’s why B&C is a member of Better Cotton, to offer you more sustainable garments.
What is Better Cotton?
Better Cotton helps cotton growers to convert to more environmentally friendly, socially and economically sustainable farming methods (e.g. more efficient use of water and chemical inputs), but also to meet growing consumer demand for more sustainable cotton.
Fees paid by Better Cotton members (such as B&C) support the implementation of the Better Cotton programmes, offering field-level advice and training for cotton farmers. Today, Better Cotton is grown in 25 countries around the world and accounts for 23% of global cotton production. In the 2019-20 cotton season, 2.4 million licensed farmers grew 6.2 million metric tonnes of Better Cotton.
Where does Better Cotton come from?
It all began back in 2012, when a group of Indian cotton growers in Kanakya village set up a committee to help farmers in their community use pesticides and fertilisers more efficiently.
They wanted to promote plant-based natural alternatives and make it easier for farmers to gain access to these products at reasonable prices.
The Better Cotton farmers today focus on 6 sustainability issues:
- Responsible use of water resources
- Caring for soil health and increase yield
- More efficient use of pesticides and fertilizers
- Cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions
- Equal rights and opportunities for all genders
- Ensuring fair and safe working conditions
Why is B&C a member of Better Cotton?
Cotton accounted for almost 90% of the fibres used by B&C in 2021. As a key player in apparel, we have a role to play in raising awareness and creating demand for more sustainable cotton.
By being a member of Better Cotton, we make progress on our journey towards more use of sustainable materials by increasingly sourcing sustainable cotton. It also means that we support farmers to build capacity and improve the livelihood of the farming community. Because the best way to increase the amount of sustainable cotton produced is to widely promote better farming practices.
Enjoy Better Cotton through B&C
By choosing our ROYAL line cotton products, you’re supporting our investment in Better Cotton’s mission. Although Better Cotton gets mixed with conventional cotton in a complex supply chain. So, even though your contribution supports cotton growers across the world to apply more sustainable practices on their farms, the products you buy will not be exclusively made of Better Cotton.
The volume of styles sold that we produce with sustainable cotton (Organic Cotton and Better Cotton) doubled in 2021 compared to 2020 (X4 versus 2019).
There’s no better way to make a difference!