We are committed to contribute to the improvement of cotton farming practices globally through our membership in the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI™).For further information about BCI and it's membership programme refer to https://bettercotton.org/
BCI Cotton is the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton.
Their vision is to have a world where all cotton production is sustainable. They aim to help embed sustainable farming practices and policies into cotton production, enhance well-being and economic development for cotton farming communities, and encourage and drive global demand for sustainable cotton.
They have a strong focus on regenerative agriculture, too. Regenerative agriculture says that agriculture, including textile and food production, can give back to the land rather than just take from it. From improving soil health to empowering women in farming decisions, BCI Cotton is putting regenerative agriculture at the heart of its sustainable practices.
Kathmandu sources BCI Cotton via a chain of custody model called mass balance, which means it is not physically traceable to end products. Read below for an explanation of mass balance.
Achieving a world where cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Standard System is a holistic approach to sustainable cotton production which covers all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic.
The Principles and Criteria of the Standard lay out the global definition of BCI Cotton through six guiding Principles and two Cross-Cutting Priorities, setting forth a continuous improvement pathway towards improved cotton production practices.
The six guiding principles are:
Management
BCI Cotton farmers operate a well-informed, effective and inclusive management system that drives sustainability impacts —
The Better Cotton Initiative supports farmers to identify locally relevant priority areas and demonstrate progress in the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices over time. A good management system also ensures that gender equality and climate action are considered in all decision-making.
Natural Resources
BCI Cotton farmers care for the health of the soil, promote water stewardship, enhance biodiversity and use land responsibly –
The Better Cotton Initiative works with farmers to implement key regenerative agricultural practices that improve soil health, conserve and enhance biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and optimise the quality and availability of water, contributing to improving the resilience of farming communities to climate change and helping mitigate the negative effects of farming on our climate. The BCI Standard System provides farmers with a comprehensive framework for using water in a way that improves yields while conserving resources for them and their community.
Crop Protection
BCI Cotton farmers minimise the harmful impact of crop protection practices —
BCI work with farming households in adopting crop protection strategies that are both economically viable and minimise risks to human health and the environment, while improving the livelihoods of farming communities through increased yields, reduced input costs, and lower health risks.
Fibre Quality
BCI Cotton farmers care for and preserve fibre quality —
The Better Cotton Initiative supports farming households in adopting locally relevant good practices during the harvest, storage, and transport of their seed cotton. The aim is to reduce man-made contamination and waste content present in fibres, therefore enhancing the quality of the crop of the cotton which contributes to market trust and long-term demand.
Decent Work
BCI Cotton farmers promote decent work —
BCI provides a framework to promote decent working conditions like a fair wage and equal opportunities for learning and progression in an environment where they feel safe, respected, and able to express their concerns and negotiate better conditions.
Sustainable Livelihoods
BCI work with farming households, workers and their families, particularly women and youth, to address key challenges and help them lead a decent and happy life that is resilient to external shocks.
And the two Cross-Cutting Priorities are:
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
BCI Cotton farmers build resilience to the effects of climate change –
The Better Cotton Initiative work with farming households to identify and implement locally relevant practices and activities which help farming communities build resilience to, or help mitigate the effects of climate change.
Gender Equality
BCI Cotton farmers confront inequalities and empower women –
BCI work with farming households to raise awareness and take measures towards better recognition and participation of women in all farm-level activities.
What is ‘mass balance’?
Mass Balance helps to simplify the complexity of cotton supply chains while still delivering direct benefits to farmers. This is why it’s been so effective at driving demand for sustainable practices worldwide and scaling up our programme. The Better Cotton Initiative aims to improve the cotton sector by supporting the farmers who grow it. This allows the cotton to remain cost-effective to suppliers, increasing the demand for BCI Cotton, and allowing more farmers to reap the benefits. In simpler terms, mass balance is like using a green power company. Green electricity is fed through the power grid along with coal-fired electricity and others. We can't pick what kind of energy we want to come out of our socket, but we raise the demand, and therefore, the availability of renewable energy.
Mass balance provides a flexible sourcing option that increases global demand for BCI Cotton whilst avoiding the complexities and cost of segregated sourcing. Sourcing BCI Cotton means we are supporting their mission and capacity strengthening activities directly through the payment of Volume-Based Fees associated with our sourcing.
Cotton is a huge part of our clothing industry, so it’s important for us to partner with non-profits who are working hard to create a better future for the industry. We’re proud to source BCI Cotton and we look forward to a brighter future with a more robust industry.