Better Cotton has announced it will be hosting a global conference addressing climate and industry issues, set to take place in Malmö, Sweden, from June 22 to 23. The theme of this year’s in-person event is Cotton and Climate Action, with a cohort of speakers already revealed to be taking part, including the likes of Ikea, Cotton 2040, Walmart, Forum of the Future and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Talks during the conference, which is to be led by Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, will cover a variety of topics within the theme, such as supply chain traceability, climate change capacity building, green washing, misuse of data and impact investing.In a release, McClaycommented on the event: “Transforming the cotton sector is not the work of one organisation alone and I am excited that we can at last bring together players from across the cotton industry at an in-person event.
“Our industry has been investing heavily in building its climate resilience for some years now, but of the 350 million people who rely on cotton production about half face high exposure to climate risk. In particular we need to show farmers that implementing more sustainable practices really will give them tangible rewards – both monetary and by improving the health of the land.
“There are a myriad of issues to tackle – from gender and social injustice to finance and traceability. We look forward to digging into these key issues in Sweden.”
Attendees will be able to listen to cotton farmers and their take on the effects of climate change, including ones associated with the Better Cotton organisation, India’s Balubhai Parmar and Lacy Cotter Vardeman from the US, who will give keynote addresses.
