The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) grew its membership last year by nearly 200, including fashion brands and retailers JD Sports, New Balance and Reiss.
In an update for the second half of 2020, the BCI said it welcomed 197 new members, including 24 retailers and brands, and 170 suppliers and manufacturers. Also welcomed was one new civil society organisation – Inter-Branch Cotton Organisation of Greek Cotton (DOV) – and two new associate members.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Organisations joined from 25 countries including Poland, Peru, South Korea, Egypt and Mauritius. Suppliers and manufacturers form a critical link between Better Cotton supply and demand, and they ensure increased volumes of Better Cotton can flow through the supply chain.
Through 2020, more than 400 organisations joined BCI, taking its total membership to just shy of 2,200 members at the end of the year.
“After a challenging year due to Covid-19, it has been incredibly encouraging to see businesses across the cotton supply chain continue to address sustainability challenges and commit to sourcing and supporting more sustainable cotton,” said Paula Lum Young-Bautil, deputy director, membership & supply chain, BCI.
Better Cotton, which recently announced it is moving forward with plans to launch a new Chain of Custody (CoC) solution that will offer full traceability of its cotton by 2022, trains farmers on more sustainable cotton production, covering all three pillars of sustainability – social, environmental and economic – and addressing the many challenges of cotton production.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIn April, it appointed an independent task force to review the current BCI system and make suggestions to improve its effectiveness in identifying, preventing, mitigating and remediating forced labour risks.
