Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, has unveiled an innovative traceability solution aimed at revolutionizing supply chains in the fashion and textile industries. After three years of development, the solution will provide a transparent view of cotton’s journey through the supply chain by recording stakeholder input on the Better Cotton Platform.
The CEO of Better Cotton, Alan McClay, expressed the significance of this breakthrough, stating that traceability at scale will cause a transformative shift in the industry’s supply chains. He believes that the traceability solution will be instrumental in the industry’s pursuit of transparency and expressed gratitude towards all organizations involved in shaping the development of the Better Cotton Platform.
Marks & Spencer’s Head of Materials and Sustainability, Katharine Beacham, expressed her delight in being part of this groundbreaking solution and the efforts to improve cotton traceability. Beacham highlighted that the global supply chain in the industry is complex and that this solution will allow for tracking cotton at a large scale, bringing more transparency to the supply chain.
Better Cotton has collaborated closely with a network of member retailers and brands, including H&M Group, Walmart, Target, Bestseller, Gap Inc., and C&A, to ensure that fashion companies can accurately trace the origin of raw materials and comply with emerging regulations. This initiative aligns with the increasing demand for companies to verify the origin of raw materials and to address any adverse effects on human rights and the environment.
The availability and detailed sourcing granularity of traceable Better Cotton will be expanded in the future. This will be the foundation for an Impact Marketplace that compensates farmers based on their progress, facilitates country-level environmental impact assessment, and enables credible consumer and business-facing claims.
The traceability solution involves the use of the Better Cotton Platform, operated by ChainPoint, a software company. Suppliers will log transactional information, providing visibility into the origins of Better Cotton and the quantity used in a product. This allows member retailers and brands to have confidence in their sourcing and enhance supply chain due diligence.
Better Cotton’s traceability solution marks a significant leap forward in ensuring transparency and sustainability in the fashion and textile sectors, aligning with the industry’s increasing need for responsible sourcing and supply chain visibility.
