London-based Better Cotton is teaming up with Chad’s Cotontchad, the African nation’s only aggregator and exporter of cotton, to launch an initiative with the goal of developing a new Better Cotton program.
Gathering stakeholders in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital city, with IDH (Initiatief Duurzame Handel), the sustainable trade initiative, and representatives from Chad’s cotton industry, ministers, cotton farmers, and individuals from the private sector and civic groups, the event is designed to spark a dialogue on the challenges and opportunities in the country’s cotton sector.
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Oliver Renson, Cotontchad CEO, noted how his organization was aligned with Better Cotton’s agenda and hopes working together in the future will build on that. “This meeting will help establish next steps required to create the right enabling environment to deliver for the country’s cotton farming communities,” he said.
There are approximately 200,000 smallholders in the AGOA-eligible north-central African nation, which counts Libya, Niger and Sudan as some of its neighbors. Through financial aid and the allocation of other resources, yields increased to 145,000 metric tons last year from 17,500 in 2019.
Pramit Chanda, IDH’s global director for textiles and manufacturing, reiterated the organization’s support of sustainable development in Chad’s cotton region. “Supporting Cotontchad alongside Better Cotton will benefit close to 200,000 farmers, strengthening international market linkages,” he said. “This will contribute directly to the broader regional development objectives of the Climate Resilient Cotton Landscape, which we are convening in Chad.”
According to Allen McClay, Better Cotton’s chief executive, meetings like the one in N’Djamena are fundamental to successful operations. “Not only do they help us forge and strengthen partnerships within the sector and beyond, they help us learn from like-minded organizations that share our commitment to supporting cotton farming communities,” he said.
The largest cotton sustainability program, Better Cotton states its mission as helping cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment. Some 22 percent of global cotton was Better Cotton, grown in 22 countries. The organization has enrolled 2.8 million farmers, some 2.2 million of which hold Better Cotton licenses. Better Cotton adherents grow some 5.4 million tons of cotton annually.
Better Cotton is in partnership with H&M, Marks & Spencer, Walmart, Target, Bestseller, C&A, and Gap in a traceability scheme. It collaborates with IDH on initiatives to reduce the impact of climate change and engage with brands on sustainable sourcing practices. The Cotontchad organization was formerly state-run but was privatized in 2018.
