Loading...

sustainability

the largest producer of BCI cotton in the world

World leader in sustainable cotton production and licensed by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Brazil is responsible for 42% of the world’s production approved by the Swiss NGO. The country has ranked number one in the world since 2013.

In the Brazilian protocol, 183 certification items are required by the country’s labor and environmental legislation, which is considered to be one of the most complete and rigid in the world.

 

Responsible Brazilian Cotton Program (ABR)

Created by Abrapa, the ABR program certifies farms that are committed to a strict protocol of good agricultural, environmental, social, and economic practices. The program has operated in tandem with the BCI since 2013, with both programs using unified protocols.

 

timeline

2005
Regional initiative in the state of Mato Grosso

2009
Certification program is implemented across the country

2012
Creation of a single protocol for the country (ABR – Responsible Brazilian Cotton)

2013
ABR unifies programs with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)

2020
Launch of the ABR-UBA program (Responsible Brazilian Cotton – Cotton Ginning Plant)

today
Record volume of certified cotton at 2.3 million tons

 

sustainability pillars

Buying Brazilian cotton means collaborating for a fairer and more balanced system of relationships between man, the economy and the environment. The ABR certification ensures respect for three essential pillars of sustainability:

environmental

 Brazilian cotton preserves the environment: it does not contribute to deforestion, it promotes good agricultural practices and has an effective program for the intelligent use of water.

social

 Production respects any and all systems involving companies and institutions, working for dignified and bilateral relations between all parties. Employees are valued and slave and child labor are fiercely fought.

economic

 Production promotes fair economic practices and contributes to the development of its market ecosystem and of the country.

Under these pillars, eight evaluation criteria have been established:

1
employment contract
2
ban on child labor
3
ban on slave/slave-like work or work performed in degrading or undignified conditions
4
freedom to unionize
5
ban on discrimination
6
safety, occupational health, and the work environment
7
environmental performance
8
good agricultural practices

Criteria 2 and 3 entail mandatory compliance.

 

What does sustainable Brazilian cotton deliver?

92% does not use irrigation, grows on rainwater alone.
1st in yield without irrigation in the world.
varied production matrix

There is no monoculture. Cotton producers also grow soybeans, corn, millet, sorghum and other crops.
More than 80% of the Brazilian cotton production is certified with the best sustainability practices.
development and social transformation in communities
In 20 years, producing regions have moved from the very low to the high end of the MHDI range (Municipal Human Development Index). Comparative examples: Nova Mutum (Mato Grosso) jumped from 0.432 to 0.758, and Barreiras (Bahia) from 0.408 to 0.721 between 1991 and 2010.

 

certification

Certification is the result of three main steps:

  1. diagnosis of the production unit,
  2. correction of possible non-compliances and
  3. auditing. Farms and ginning plants are visited individually by third-party auditors* internationally recognized, every year.

The ABR, like the BCI, is based on the continuous improvement of good social, environmental, and economic practices in cotton production units.

* Certifying bodies licensed by Abrapa in the 2021/2022 crop: ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards), Bureau Veritas and GenesisGroup Certifications.

learn more about the Brazilian cotton commitment with sustainability


download guide download highlights

the history


Brazilian cotton has a curious history of resilience and innovation. According to historical reports, local indigenous people used cotton fibers to produce yarns and rustic fabrics. But in 1750 the country discovered the commercial potential of its agricultural production and cotton became a sort of white gold for the domestic economy.

an ancestral fiber 1500

Brazilian indigenous peoples knew and transformed cotton into threads and rustic fabrics even before the arrival of the Portuguese.

the era of "white gold" 1750

Lint production reached commercial levels and emerged as a promising economic activity for Colonial Brazil.

one of the largest cotton growers and exporters 1980

Brazil had remained relevant in the global cotton market. At the time the country’s Northeast region stood out, leading production.

the cotton bollweevil mid1980s

This small insect brought in from abroad devastated cotton fields, especially in the Northeast, destroying entire growing areas.

huge losses early1990s

In addition to the pest, changes in economic policies contributed to the reduction of more than 60% of the cotton acreage. 800,000 people were unemployed by 1995.

overcoming the challenges late1990s

Cotton farming was restored in Brazil through technology advances, and the crop migrated to the Brazilian Midwest, where the plant adapted to the soil and climate.

the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa) is founded 1999

The organization helped spread new farming techniques and good practices. The creation of Abrapa marks a new phase of prosperity and development for cotton.

creation of the Responsible Brazilian Cotton (ABR) socio-environmental certification 2012

Based on regional sustainability practices, a national protocol was established in 2012 for the socio-environmental certification of Brazilian cotton, the ABR..

today cotton is produced across various regions of the country

the biggest producing state are Mato Grosso & Bahia, which grows more than 90% of our fiber

cotton br news

stay up to date with all the news about Brazilian cotton