This August 21, Cotton Brazil reaffirms its commitment to sustainable production
Today, thinking about more sustainable fashion is not only a concern, but a responsibility shared by every link in the textile supply chain. The choice of raw materials, the practices adopted throughout their production, and the ability to trace their journey to the consumer are all important parts of this process. On August 21, International Fashion Day, Cotton Brazil reaffirms its commitment to increasingly responsible and sustainable production.
This is a journey that combines technology, good agricultural practices, social and environmental responsibility, and traceability. Here are some of the initiatives:
Brazilian Responsible Cotton Program (ABR)
Sustainability in the supply chain begins with the production of the raw material. The Brazilian Responsible Cotton Program (ABR), developed by the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa), establishes social and environmental criteria for cotton-producing farms and verifies, through independent audits, compliance with requirements related to the environmental, social, and economic aspects of production.
Among the criteria assessed are the conservation of natural resources, working conditions, workers’ health and safety, and farm management. The certification also considers compliance with legislation and the adoption of good agricultural practices. In this way, the program establishes parameters for assessing the social and environmental responsibility of farms and monitoring their progress throughout the certification process.
SAI: identification and traceability of each bale
Created in 2004, the Abrapa Identification System (SAI) enables the traceability of every cotton bale produced in Brazil. The label, attached once ginning is completed, makes it possible to identify the farm where the cotton was produced, the ginning facility where it was processed, and the laboratory responsible for analyzing the fiber’s quality.
The label also provides access to information such as the fiber classification and the results of High Volume Instrument (HVI) testing. It also indicates whether the fiber was produced on a farm certified under the Brazilian Responsible Cotton Program (ABR) and licensed by Better Cotton. The system also provides information on the social and environmental certification of the ginning facility and the quality certification of the Brazilian Cotton Quality Program (PQAB).
SouABR: traceable cotton
The SouABR program brings Brazilian cotton traceability into the fashion supply chain. The initiative connects the different stages involved in producing a garment and makes it possible to follow the journey of certified cotton from the farm to the finished product. In this way, information about the raw material can be linked to the stages that transform cotton into fabric and, subsequently, into a garment.
Participating garments feature a QR Code on their labels, giving consumers access to information about the cotton’s origin and its journey through the supply chain. The initiative makes visible a journey that is not usually shown on a garment label and allows consumers to understand the connection between the raw material produced on the farm and the product that reaches their wardrobe.
Since its launch in 2021, SouABR has continued to expand its reach across Brazil’s textile supply chain. By the end of 2025, the program had tracked 622,922 garments, including 319,647 produced that year alone.
Certification, identification, and traceability are all part of the same journey, connecting cotton production on the farm with the different links in the fashion supply chain. It is a journey that goes from farm to fashion. To learn more about these initiatives and Brazilian cotton production, visit the Cotton Brazil website.
