Better Cotton Transitioning to External Certification Scheme

Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability program, is becoming a third-party-validated certification scheme.

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The move, which will employ external parties to perform assessments and make certification decisions to add a “layer of independence and credibility,” will help ensure that the standard can square up against new and emerging legislation, CEO Alan McClay wrote in a blog post last week.

While the program’s approach has come under fire for deficiencies in its due diligence process , the use of mass balance to co-mingle conventional and lower-impact fibers and, more recently, what its critics characterize as blind spots with issues of land ownership, the rights of local communities and illegal deforestation in Brazil , McClay said that “key” regulations such as the European Union’s directive on empowering consumers for the green transition were the “impetus” for the shift.

Better Cotton, which is grown by more than 2 million farmers using less water and fewer synthetic inputs in 22 countries across the world, accounted for 22 percent of global cotton production in the 2021-2022 season. Nearly half of this originated from Brazil. In contrast, certified organic cotton makes up roughly 1.4 percent of total cotton production, according to the sustainability nonprofit Textile Exchange.

Its current tack involves an amalgamation of assessments by approved third-party verifiers, appraisals by Better Cotton staff members, support visits by program partners such as national or regional producer organizations, and self-assessments by the farmers themselves.

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“At this pivotal moment, we see third-party certification bodies as essential to bolstering the credibility of our work and amplifying the good work of cotton farmers globally,” McClay said. “Our transition to certification, combined with evolving traceability capabilities, will not only strengthen the value chain, but also increase demand for more sustainable cotton.”

Where Better Cotton’s transition will culminate is a new product label, one that McClay says will allow its more than 300 brand and retailer partners, including boldface names such as Adidas, Gap Inc., H&M Group and Zara owner Inditex, to “proudly showcase” their commitment to sustainable cotton.

Better Cotton will be conducting public consultations on some of the changes to its assurance approaches, as well as providing updates about its chain of custody and claims framework.

“From farm to consumer, we are committed to catalyzing the entire sector, supporting continuous improvement, and advancing the lives of cotton farmers worldwide,” McClay said. “The success of this transition will be predicated on active engagement from all members across the supply chain.”

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