Better Cotton Talks Carbon Insetting At Latest Clinton Global Initiative Meeting In India
Image By Courtesy of Better Cotton
February 10, 2023 : At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting in India this week, the organisation reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Better Cotton as it develops a carbon insetting framework to promote and incentivise sustainable agricultural practices.
Better Cotton first outlined its ambitions to establish an insetting mechanism at last year’s CGI meeting in New York.
At its most recent outing, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Better Cotton’s Chief Operating Officer, Lena Staafgard discussed the wealth of opportunities across India whilst acknowledging that growers must be rewarded for delivering on Better Cotton’s climate mitigation targets.
Already, Better Cotton’s network in India has greatly benefitted from adopting more sustainable practices. In the 2020-21 growing season, for example, Better Cotton growers reported on average 9% higher yields, 18% higher profits, and 21% lower emissions than their conventional cotton growing counterparts.
Still, underpinned by its comprehensive supply chain traceability system that’s scheduled to launch at the end of this year, Better Cotton believes insetting mechanisms can accelerate environmental and social progress, supporting smallholder livelihoods across its network.
In theory, the insetting mechanism would incentivise growers to produce more sustainable cotton by facilitating the trade of insetting credits and offering rewards based on each operation’s credentials and continued progress.
Until now, it has been impossible to build a carbon insetting mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the cotton supply chain at scale due to a lack of traceability.
Farmer centricity is a key pillar of Better Cotton’s work, and this solution ties into the 2030 Strategy, which lays the foundation for a strong response to climate threats within the cotton value chain, and mobilises action for change with growers, field partners and members.
Right now, Better Cotton is piloting its traceability system in the Gujarat and Maharashtra states.
With enhanced supply chain visibility, brands will learn more about where the cotton they source comes from and therefore be better positioned to reward sustainable practices via grower repayments that incentivise further on-field improvements.
The CGI meeting in India – led by Secretary Hillary Clinton – was a huge success for Better Cotton as it conveyed its aspirations for further progress within the cotton sector.
“It is obvious that by coming together with other commitment makers there is scope for more impact.” Lena Staafgard, Chief Operating Officer, Better Cotton
Better Cotton Is The World’s Leading Sustainability Initiative For Cotton.
Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
Cotton is one of the world’s most important renewable natural resources. Safeguarding the growing and production of it is essential.
In 2005, as part of a round-table initiative convened by WWF, a group of visionary organisations came together to make sure cotton had a sustainable future.
Initial support came from organisations such as adidas, Gap Inc., H&M, ICCO Cooperation, IKEA, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Organic Exchange, Oxfam, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK and WWF.
We are the architects of multi-stakeholder commitment
Today our vision is a reality.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), or just Better Cotton for short, is the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world.
In just over a decade, we have convinced stakeholders who span the industry to be our partners. Farmers, ginners, spinners, suppliers, manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, civil society organisations, donors and governments.
This adds up to more than 2,300 members in the Better Cotton network. They buy into our approach of training farming communities to produce cotton in ways that improve things for everyone and everything connected with this fluffy white staple.
