2016 Annual Report: Better Cotton Initiative

BCI works with a diverse range of stakeholders, connecting people and organisations across the cotton sector from field to store, to promote measurable and continuing improvements for the environment, farming communities, and the economies of cotton-producing areas. BCI's mission is to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in, and better for the sector's future. The initiative brings together thousands of organisations, large and small, whose work is aimed at making cotton production better. Their efforts converge in cotton fields around the globe, where farmers and implementing partners work to bring to life more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable growing practices. In 2016, BCI launched the BCI Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF), a global project portfolio designed to become a catalyst for transforming cotton production by achieving scale and impact. The fund is backed by contributions from BCI Retailer and Brand Members, along with public and private investment. In its first year, the BCI GIF directly invested €4.2 million in field-level programmes and mobilised an additional €4.7 million in co-funding from partners, resulting in a total portfolio value of €8.9 million. The BCI GIF is governed by the BCI Council in partnership with BCI Retailers and Brands, Civil Society Members, and governmental bodies. IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, is the official Fund Manager along with being an important funder. Representatives from IDH and BCI form the BCI GIF Secretariat, which proposes and implements the BCI GIF strategy, manages and processes project applications, promotes knowledge sharing, and manages a growing innovation pipeline. The BCI GIF has a projected impact of enabling over 600,000 farmers across China, India, Pakistan, Mozambique, Turkey, Tajikistan, and Senegal to participate in BCI programmes. To achieve scale, BCI must innovate, an important facet of the initiative that will become increasingly significant as it grows. The BCI GIF's success is directly linked to the commitment of BCI Retailer and Brand Members, who contribute to the fund's growth and development. BCI's goal is to make Better Cotton a mainstream commodity, with a target of reaching 30% of global cotton production by 2020. The initiative believes that this is possible if it continues to strive together, from farm to factory to high-street retailer, to make cotton better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in, and better for the sector's future.