Better Cotton

Uzbekistan was represented at #LargeFarmWeek by Inoyat Nurov, Chief Coordinator, TCT Cluster LLC and Better Cotton’s Azamat Mukhomedjanov, Assurance and Capacity Building Coordinator for Uzbekistan.🙌    Azamat: 💬 “I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Large Farm Week in Türkiye. It was a valuable opportunity to connect with Better Cotton colleagues from the USA, Brazil, Pakistan and Türkiye. “This experience allowed me to get to know our international team better and will facilitate productive collaboration in future projects. Additionally, I found it fascinating to explore Turkish farming methods, the textile industry, and the country's national and traditional attractions.”🌍 Inoyat: 💬 “First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers of the Better Cotton Large Farm Programme for the opportunity to take part in the Large Farm Week in Türkiye. It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience.     “This event provided a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and insights with Turkish large farms. Additionally, we met with textile producers who showed interest in purchasing Uzbek cotton yarn and exchanged contact information for potential future collaborations.”📞   We are thrilled both were present to offer their insights and come away from the event inspired!✨ Photo Credits: Ashley Barrington / Better Cotton & Ömer Arslan #BetterCotton #cottonfarming #sustainability İYİ PAMUK UYGULAMALARI DERNEĞİ - IPUD Ünteks Group | Fully Integrated Textile Manufacturer From Yarn To Garment

Uzbekistan was represented at #LargeFarmWeek by Inoyat Nurov, Chief Coordinator, TCT Cluster LLC and Better Cotton’s Azamat Mukhomedjanov, Assurance and Capacity Building Coordinator for Uzbekistan.🙌    Azamat: 💬 “I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Large Farm Week in Türkiye. It was a valuable opportunity to connect with Better Cotton colleagues from the USA, Brazil, Pakistan and Türkiye. “This experience allowed me to get to know our international team better and will facilitate productive collaboration in future projects. Additionally, I found it fascinating to explore Turkish farming methods, the textile industry, and the country's national and traditional attractions.”🌍 Inoyat: 💬 “First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers of the Better Cotton Large Farm Programme for the opportunity to take part in the Large Farm Week in Türkiye. It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience.     “This event provided a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and insights with Turkish large farms. Additionally, we met with textile producers who showed interest in purchasing Uzbek cotton yarn and exchanged contact information for potential future collaborations.”📞   We are thrilled both were present to offer their insights and come away from the event inspired!✨ Photo Credits: Ashley Barrington / Better Cotton & Ömer Arslan #BetterCotton #cottonfarming #sustainability İYİ PAMUK UYGULAMALARI DERNEĞİ - IPUD Ünteks Group | Fully Integrated Textile Manufacturer From Yarn To Garment

Large Farm Week also welcomed Australia’s peak industry body, Cotton Australia, representing up to 1,500 cotton farmers. After over 50 years, the group continues to support growers and industry alike through research and innovation. 📋💡 “It’s been great to hear from other large farm cotton producing countries and listen to their challenges. It helps us see how we can work together to increase not only cotton demand, but the amount of sustainably grown cotton worldwide.” – Tom Mannes, Regional Manager, Cotton Australia 🌏🤝 Alongside the US team, Tom discussed challenges in moving away from hazardous pesticides and the potential in funding more expensive but less toxic pest control methods. 🙌 Cotton Australia has addressed chemical overuse since the ‘90s and has seen a 97% drop in synthetic insecticide usage. A levy on each bale, paid by farmers and matched by the government, funds extension research like insecticide resistant management. 🕷 🔬 Convenings like Large Farm Week keep these conversations going as our allies continue to share their insights and stories around growing cotton.🌱   Photo Credits: Ashley Barrington / Better Cotton & Ömer Arslan #LargeFarmWeek #BetterCotton #CottonAustralia #cottonfarming #sustainability İYİ PAMUK UYGULAMALARI DERNEĞİ - IPUD

Following an inspiring trip to Bismil Tarim Farm with Better Cotton farmer Hamza Altay, the team visited Ünteks Group, one of the largest vertically integrated mills in Türkiye. 🏭 Ünteks is an integrated textile company producing cotton yarn, manufacturing knitted fabric and garments, rotary printing and dyeing. They've been a Better Cotton Member since 2015 and have operated for over 20 years. 🤝👕 In their spinning facility, the Group produces only 100% cotton yarns, which they sell but mainly use for their own production. In addition to Better Cotton, Üntek Group uses other sustainable fibres including recycled and organic cotton. 🌱 And for extra credit: Solar panels on their campus cover 55-60% of the energy they consume. 🎓🌻 Edip Ünver, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Ünteks Group – seen here with Better Cotton’s Alvaro Moreira, Senior Manager, Large Farm Programmes and Partnerships - presented our team with this plaque during our visit to their campus. 🏆 Thank you for having us, Unteks Group! Photo credits: Ashley Barrington, João Carlos Resende S. da Rocha / Better Cotton Lício Pena Sairre / AMIPA #LargeFarmWeek #BetterCotton #cottonfarming #sustainability  Ünteks Group | Fully Integrated Textile Manufacturer From Yarn To Garment İYİ PAMUK UYGULAMALARI DERNEĞİ - IPUD

We now turn the large farm spotlight to Better Cotton farmer Raja Khan Rajper of RK BANEED Farm, and Pakistan’s Better Cotton Capacity Building Coordinator, Muhammad Umar Iqbal.✨     Raja Khan has been a Better Cotton licensed grower since 2011 and farms cotton on a large-scale operation in the Sindh province of Pakistan. 🚜🌱     Since becoming involved with Better Cotton, his farm has seen improvements in both cultivation and community. Women, who do the majority of picking, are earning extra to pick cleaner cotton and there is educational support for their children. ♀️🎒     Muhammad Umar Iqbal: 💬 “In our cotton production, the reliance on manual labour, particularly in hand-picking, presents both challenges and opportunities. While it can increase the risk of exploitation, it also provides essential income for many impoverished families.     Through our robust policies and capacity-building programmes, we are committed to ensuring decent work conditions and empowering women, enabling them to work with dignity and security. Our approach balances the need for fair labour practices with the opportunity to uplift communities.”💬     Another significant challenge Pakistani farmers face is the unpredictability of rain, so Raja Khan has adopted practices like harvesting rainwater to use off-season or when there is a shortage.     Other implementations in place include cover cropping and composting banana leaves, which has improved organic matter in the soil and increased yields.    This is but a glimpse into the significant field-level and systems work being supported through our Large Farm Programme in Pakistan.      Photo Credits: Ashley Barrington / Better Cotton     #LargeFarmWeek #BetterCotton #Sustainability #Cotton #Agriculture

As our Large Farm Week unfolds in Türkiye, it is illuminating the vast range of contexts within which Better Cotton large farms operate around the world.🗺️ Today, the group visited Bismil Tarim Farm and met with Better Cotton licensed farmer Hamza Altay and his father Faruk Altay. Hamza’s grandfather started farming on 10 hectares 50 years ago and now his family grows cotton on 1,600 hectares. 🌱 The farm has volcanic soil which is exclusive to the region, and involvement with Better Cotton since 2016 has helped them improve in social sustainability indicators and reduce water use. Here is a sneak peak at some of the other stories being gathered from across the board as our team connects with representatives from each region: ⭐ “Cotton has a good story to tell. We have the potential to improve, but if we can tell our story correctly, we’ll have the consumer demand.” – Shane Stephens, VP Cotton Services and Warehousing at StaplCotn & Better Cotton Licensing Management Partner, U.S.   ⭐ “I am involved in a Better Cotton project that encourages education for women, adopting sustainable practices, implementing traceability and developing a biodiverse ecosystem.” – Raja Khan Rajper, RK BANEEN Farm, Pakistan   ⭐ “The advantages in selling cotton products and the conditions of the global market prompted us to obtain the Better Cotton license. Today, cotton products sold under this license are very profitable. We're not looking for business partners, they're looking for us." – Inoyat Nurov, TCT Cluster LLC, Uzbekistan Stay tuned for more insights from Better Cotton Large Farm Week over the coming days! 💡   Photo credits: Ashley Barrington/Better Cotton   İPUD İYİ PAMUK UYGULAMALARI DERNEĞİ #LargeFarmWeek #LargeFarms #BetterCotton #Cotton #Sustainability

From smallholders farming on a few acres to large farms covering thousands, Better Cotton is on a mission to help cotton farming communities thrive, regardless of scale.🤝 Next week, we will be spotlighting our work in this area, as our large farm Programme Partners convene in person for the first time.🙌   It is commonly assumed that large farm operations face fewer challenges than those of smallholders. In fact, they are met with a different set of obstacles entirely - and, importantly, are exploring promising innovations.   Tune in for Large Farm Week, taking place in Türkiye 19-23 August, as representatives from our programmes in Australia, Brazil, Pakistan, the US and Uzbekistan gather in person for the first time to exchange learnings and obstacles from their respective countries and contexts. Keep an eye on our channels for updates and highlights - much to come! #LargeFarmWeek #Cotton #BetterCotton #CottonFarming #Sustainability Photo credit: Alvaro Moreira/Better Cotton

During the Better Cotton Conference 2024, Ali Ertuğrul from USB Certification sat down with us to share some of his organisation’s learnings, calling on the cotton sector to put farmers at the heart of everything we do. 💙 Ali discussed USB Certification’s journey in the sector, and emphasised the role of policy in driving positive change. To find out everything he had to say, head to the link below to watch our interview with him. 📹 USB Certification is an auditing and certification services business based in Izmir, Türkiye, with more than 25 years’ experience offering compliance audits and certifications in line with national and international standards. The organisation was also the headline sponsor of the Better Cotton Conference 2024, and we are so grateful for their support in making this year's event possible. 🙏 https://lnkd.in/ewbVzCuU #Cotton #Sustainability #BetterCottonConference2024 #Turkiye #Policy #Certification 

Last month, Better Cotton Pakistan held an event in Lahore, which explored the theme ‘A Drive Towards Greener and Sustainable Textile Supply Chains’. 💚🪡 Organisations including the EU Delegation to Pakistan and German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH made the trip to discuss new and emerging regulations and their scope for impact both nationally and internationally. Among the speakers from Better Cotton were our Director of Impact, Lars van Doremalen, who outlined opportunities to monetise farm-level progress, and our Senior Manager of Membership and Supply Chains in Pakistan, Muhammad Shuaib, who shared opportunities for traceability within the cotton value chain. A huge thank you to all speakers, participants and partners for making the event a success – to see highlights from the event, check out our video! #Pakistan #Traceability #EU #SupplyChain #Cotton #Sustainability #Textiles

Today, as we celebrate #InternationalYouthDay, we must reflect on the challenges that young people around the world face, including the ongoing issue of child labour. 🌍 Child labour – work that is not age-appropriate, interferes with children's schooling, or is harmful to their development – can have serious consequences for children and can contribute to perpetuating cycles of household poverty. 👪 The agricultural sector accounts for 70% of all child labour worldwide, so it is crucial that we work together to promote the importance of age-appropriate work. We must ensure that children of working age receive the necessary training and supervision, minimising their risk of engaging in child labour and exposure to harm. Better Cotton is promoting an “Assess and Address” approach to decent work, placing a strong emphasis on prevention, continuous improvement, and engagement on root causes. This approach aims to empower Producers to take proactive measures to prevent, monitor, identify and remediate issues such as child labour. To read about how this approach works in practice, head to the link below: https://lnkd.in/exyY8abd Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Vibhor Yadav #EndChildLabour #YouthEmpowerment #SustainableDevelopment #Agriculture #BetterCotton United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs