- Member Awards celebrate the contribution of Better Cotton Members to the organisation’s growth and success
- In the 2021/2022 season, Better Cotton Retailer and Brand Members sourced an impressive 2.6 million tonnes of Better Cotton, accounting for more than 10% of the global cotton production.
- Recipients include Walmart, John Lewis Partnership, Cotton Egypt Association and more
The biggest cotton sustainability project in the world, Better Cotton, has revealed the winners of its 2024 Member Awards.
The recipients of this year’s awards, which were given by Better Cotton CEO Alan McClay and Senior Director of Membership and Supply Chain Eva Benavidez Clayton, were members who have distinguished themselves in the cotton sector.
A remarkable 2.6 million tons of Better Cotton were sourced by Better Cotton Retailer and Brand Members in the 2021–2022 season, making well over 10% of the world’s total cotton production.
As part of the two-day Better Cotton Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, which brought together over 200 industry experts to talk about “accelerating impact” at the field level, the event was held over a dinner cruise along the Bosphorus.
“It’s a great privilege to host our Member Awards and celebrate the dedication and unrelenting efforts of our partners,” Better Cotton Chief Executive Officer Alan McClay said. Collaboration at all levels is essential for bringing about transformative change in the cotton sector, so as Better Cotton’s network expands, it’s critical that we assess the industry’s current state of development.
The 2024 Better Cotton Member Award Winners are:
The Top Contributor Award, in recognition of the organisations with the highest uptake of Better Cotton relative to their use of the material, went to:
- Walmart, for its significant uptake of Better Cotton in the large to very large member category
- John Lewis Partnership, for its significant uptake of Better Cotton in the very small to medium sized member category
The Sourcing Award, in recognition of cotton traders and intermediaries who processed the highest volume of Better Cotton, went to:
- Cargill Commodities, for its role in sourcing the highest volumes of Better Cotton in the cotton trader category
- Vicunha Têxtil, for its role in sourcing the highest volumes of Better Cotton in the intermediary category
The Impact Storyteller Award, in recognition of the organisation whose field-level insights generated the most interest on the Better Cotton website in the past 12 months, went to:
- Cotton Egypt Association, for featuring a story which shone a light on the people behind Better Cotton’s growing programme in Egypt, exploring the work underway to expand sustainable cotton production in the Nile Delta.
The Innovators Award, in recognition of the organisation for positively impacting farmers, fostering sustainable practices and improving livelihoods, went to:
- CABI, for its multifaceted work in Pakistan which has included the creation of a national organic agriculture policy for Pakistan that is currently being assessed by the country’s Ministry of Food Security and Research. If approved, the policy is expected to strengthen and build bridges between stakeholders working to promote sustainability.
