Any effective mechanism to impact change in cotton production requires a set of guiding principles. It took several years of preparation, but in 2009 the Better Cotton Initiative formally organized–publishing, in partnership with retailers, manufacturers, advisory groups and NGOs, its first set of global standards known as the Production Principals and Criteria, the foundation of the Better Cotton System.Launched in 2010, the Better Cotton Fast Track is an independent coalition of private and public partners managed by the Sustainable Trade Initiative. BCFT partners channel funds directly into farmer training and capacity building around the Better Cotton Standard. As the name implies, Better Cotton Fast Track helps escalate Better Cotton as a mainstream sustainable commodity in the marketplace.The latest available harvest report shows that in 2012 more than $9.6 million was invested in 31 projects throughout Mali, Brazil, Pakistan, India and China–producing 623,000 metric tons of Better Cotton lint (“seed” cotton is before ginning, “lint” cotton is after ginning).
Article en ligne : www.triplepundit.com/2014/03/better-cotton-initiative-making-sustainable-cotton-mainstream/