Sustainable Cotton

1. Regenerative Cotton Standard

Developed by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), the Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS) is a voluntary standard for cotton grown by small-scale farmers using regenerative farming methods. RCS aims to improve the overall resilience and productivity of small farming while adding value to farmland, rural communities, the biosphere, and the quality of life of farm animals. Unlike traditional standards, RCS adopts a holistic approach by targeting the entire production system rather than focusing solely on the cotton itself. This system-wide approach ensures sustainable practices that support long term environmental and soil health, economic viability, and community well-being. In partnership with the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), we collaborate with nearly 5,000 farmers in Maharashtra to produce India’s first Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS)-verified cotton. The idea of regenerative agriculture is not new and has been subject to different definitions.

The Aid by Trade Foundation’s RCS defines it as follows:

Actively creating co-benefits in interaction between nature, people, society, and the economy, bringing agricultural systems into a better state than they are currently in. Responsible Management forms the basis to enable transformation towards community supported regeneration. To achieve and verify this, it is key to combine suitable and available traditional knowledge and farming approaches with scientific insights and state of-the-art digital technology.

For more Information. https://regenerative-cotton.org/en/home/

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2. Organic Cotton

Organic cotton refers to naturally cultivated cotton without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides or transgenic technology. It was first planted in the 1980s as an attempt to secure sustainable, ecological, and biodynamic agriculture. Organic cotton promotes and enhances biodiversity and biological cycles and so is beneficial to human health and the environment. Organic cotton is cotton from plants that are not genetically modified and are certified to be produced according to the internationally recognized organic farming standards of the EU regulation 834/2007, the US National Organic Program, the Indian National Programme for Organic Production and the Japanese Agricultural Standard. Organic cotton production does not simply mean replacing synthetic fertilizers and pesticides with organic types; it is a systemic approach which aims to establish a diverse and balanced farming ecosystem, ideally including all types of crops and farm activities. Farms typically need to complete a 2-year conversion period to change their production system from conventional to organic.

Textiles made out of organic cotton and labelled with the Global Organic Textile Standard or Organic Content Standard logo have the highest consumer recognition and strongest marketing claim amongst all sustainable cotton labels. We have realized the need for a reliable, authentic and predictable supply of organic certified cotton, and through our loyal partners within the supply chain, we have evolved into one of the leading organic cotton merchants in India.

3. Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), or just Better Cotton (BC) 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. BCI aims to transform cotton production worldwide by developing Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity. BCI exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment in which it's grown and better for the sector's future. Through Better Cotton and its partners, farmers receive training on how to use water efficiently,care for the health of the soil and natural habitats, reduce the use of the most harmful chemicals and apply decent work principles. Better Cotton farmers implementing this system are licensed to sell Better Cotton.

4. Regenagri

Regenagri© is an international regenerative agriculture program for securing the health of the land and the well-being of those who live on it. It supports farms and organizations to transition to holistic and regenerative farming techniques that increase soil organic matter, encourage biodiversity, sequester CO2 and improve water and energy management. Regenerative agriculture focuses on working with nature, limiting costly artificial inputs and mimicking natural ecosystems within an agricultural setting. It draws its practices from Agroecology, Permaculture and Conservation Agriculture; its objective is to restore soil health.