Global leaders join hands for sustainable 'Cotton 2040'

Convened by sustainability non-profit organisation 'Forum for the Future', with support from the C&A Foundation, it includes leading retailers M&S and Target; industry standards Better Cotton Initiative and Cotton Made in Africa (CMiA), organic standards (represented by Textile Exchange), the Fairtrade Foundation, industry initiatives Cotton Connect, IDH, Cotton Australia, Value Added in Africa and Organic Cotton Accelerator as well as the London College of Fashion.

Through research and close consultation with cotton stakeholders across the industry over 2015-2016, certain priority areas for action have been set. It includes building demand for more sustainable cotton: enabling an increased demand for sustainable cotton within the fashion and apparel industry, closing the loop on cotton: scaling up cotton recycling and circularity, traceability: building greater visibility and transparency throughout the cotton value chain and across standards and upskilling for resilience: creating a cross-industry forum to build resilience among smallholder cotton farmers in a changing world.

"Past debate around sustainable cotton standards and industry initiatives has at times been polarising, but we know to make effective progress we need to work together. At Forum, we believe that collaborative action is essential in order to address complex issues that no one entity – whether a business, standard, consumer group, NGO or government – can tackle alone. We’re delighted that leaders across the global cotton industry are ready and willing to come together and are excited to help steer them forward through this unique and growing partnership," Sally Uren, CEO of Forum for the Future, said.

These tools, currently in development, will be tested and piloted by coalition members, then launched and shared with the wider textile industry in October 2017.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India