Weaving Sustainability into the Cotton Industry

摘要

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) was launched to stimulate and support sustainability in the cotton industry and make Better Cotton a viable mainstream commodity. In 2009, to speed up this process, an alliance of major retailers and non-government organizations (NGOs) launched the Better Cotton Fast Track Program, aiming to support the long-term goals of BCI. One of the first milestones of the Fast Track Program is a supply of 1 million tonnes of Better Cotton lint by 2015. Although widely perceived as a "natural" product, cotton cultivation involves the intensive use of water, fertilizer and pesticides. Most cotton growers are illiterate and live in poverty. The complex supply chain lacks visibility, and at various stages - whether in production,processing or trading -short-term opportunities can appear more valuable than long-term security. Given these conditions, BCI has pledged to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, for the environment it grows in, and for thefuture of the cotton sector. It is currently the only initiative of its kind that aims for mass-market transformation as an explicit goal. BCI is recognized by leading cotton companies as the standard for more sustainable cotton production in mainstream markets.