The Better Cotton Conference ended in Istanbul (Türkiye) on 27th July with another step forward being taken by Brazilian cotton growers. At the event, Brazilian cotton growers deepened their dialogue with global retailers, third-sector organizations and Better Cotton executives with regard to traceability and responsible production. 

This is the third consecutive year that the Better Cotton Conference has received institutional support from Cotton Brazil. This program represents the Brazilian cotton production chain on a global scale.  

Set up by The Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa), Cotton Brazil works in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex Brasil) and with the support of the National Cotton Shippers Association (Anea).

In addition to participating in the panels, the Cotton Brazil team held parallel agendas with representatives from global retailers and third sector leaders. The agenda included the traceability system already implemented in Brazil and the sustainability actions promoted by the Responsible Brazilian Cotton (ABR) program, a Brazilian socio-environmental certification standard. 

“This dialogue with brands allows us to understand the fashion industry’s requirements. We discussed the best way to show the responsible practices that Brazil has already adopted throughout the whole cotton production process. This way, we provide greater visibility to our national sustainability program”, said Marcelo Duarte Monteiro, director of International Relations at Abrapa and head of Cotton Brazil. 

The annual conference held by Better Cotton, the organization responsible for the largest socio-environmental cotton licensing program in the world, brought together more than 400 people.

Among the topics discussed this year, one of the highlights was the analysis of how cotton farming is adapting to the European Union’s new sustainability guidelines. Seeking workable and simple traceability solutions and the best way to report sustainability results was also on the agenda.

A video recorded by the president of Abrapa, Alexandre Schenkel, was presented during the event, highlighting the evolution of Brazilian cotton farming and the good practices that led the country to the position of being the main global supplier of cotton licensed by Better Cotton. 

The conference was held on June 26th and 27th in Istanbul (Türkiye). The event takes place annually and is always focused on promoting initiatives that aim for a more sustainable future for global cotton.

The link between Abrapa and Better Cotton began in 2013 when the two organizations began to work on benchmarking their socio-environmental certification programs (Responsible Brazilian Cotton – ABR, by Abrapa, and Better Cotton).