Four new Impact Goals covering soil health, women’s empowerment, pesticides, and sustainable livelihoods have been introduced by the cotton sustainability initiative Better Cotton.
These aspirational new indicators are a component of its continuing 2030 Plan and provide specifics on how to spark change at the field level in a number of important areas. The organization’s strategy’s first commitment, connected to climate change mitigation, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent per metric tonne of Better Cotton lint produced by the end of the decade, sits side by side with the new goals.
In its most recent Synthesis Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that every degree of warming leads to a rapid increase in climate hazards, with risks to ecosystems and human health expected to rise as a result of more intense heatwaves, heavier rainfall, and other weather extremes.
“Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and damages for nature and people, it will also provide wider benefits,” insisted IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee.
Cotton is one of the most significant renewable resources in the world and may be found in a variety of different environments, with more than 22 million tonnes generated each year. Four Impact Goals were created in collaboration with prominent civil society organisations and industry experts since the sector’s growth has the potential to relieve poverty while improving sustainability and equality which were:
- Increase the resilience and net income of two million cotton growers and workers in a sustainable manner.
- Verify that all Better Cotton farmers have enhanced the condition of their soil.
- Reach one million women in the cotton industry through programmes and materials that support improved livelihoods, equitable farm decision-making, or climate resilience. And make sure there are 25 per cent of women working in the field who can affect sustainable cotton output.
- At least 50 per cent less synthetic pesticides will be used and risked by Better Cotton growers and employees.
Better Cotton and its network of field-level partners educated 2.9 million farmers in 26 countries on more environmentally friendly agricultural techniques during the cotton season of 2020–21.
To support the survival and prosperity of cotton farming communities as well as the preservation and restoration of the environment, Better Cotton continues to promote ongoing improvement at the field level. By putting a focus on these new Impact Goals and aiding in the leveraging of funds, knowledge partners, and other resources to create momentum for change at scale, they will help ensure more significant and long-lasting economic, environmental, and social benefits in cotton-growing communities.
Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, said, “Driving impact at the field level is imperative for Better Cotton’s ambitions in what is a defining decade for our planet. Our new Impact Targets will allow us to continue taking measurable steps to support more sustainable cotton production. Pushing further towards regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, we can ensure cotton farmers and farm workers are equipped to address their environmental impact, futureproof their operations and adapt to the often unpredictable effects of global warming.”
The 2030 Strategy for Better Cotton continues to set the course for its ten-year plan in order to generate impact at the field level in addition to compliance with the Better Cotton Standard (Principles & Criteria). These additional pledges support the COP27 agreements and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in order to help cotton farming communities achieve results-based climate mitigation.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
