Women populate every part of our value chain, from field to fitting room, and we feel a responsibility to every single one of them. We work with CottonConnect to empower female cotton farmers by supporting their transition from conventional to organic cotton farming and improved livelihood.
350 women in the region of Madhya Pradesh have been part of our ‘Women in Cotton’ programme together with CottonConnect. The programme is designed to improve the organic farming skills and livelihood of female cotton farmers in rural India, that are in conversion from conventional to organic cotton farming. It has a holistic approach – the female farmers receive training in organic cotton farming practices and business management as well as alternate livelihood activities to create additional income, health and labour rights. With this programme, we offer a platform, network and knowledge, but it is each woman’s hard work and dedication that makes the real difference for their business and livelihood.
Alongside empowering the female cotton farmers, the programme has also created a direct link between the farmer community and our business. The global cotton supply chain is complex and still has a long way to go in terms of transparency. By creating a direct link, we have been able to push the cotton from the female cotton farmers in the programme upstream in our supply chain into specific products – our GOTS certified baby pyjamas. A big step forward on our journey towards a fully transparent cotton supply chain.
CottonConnect is an organisation with a mission to transform the cotton industry for good by enabling brands and retailers to develop a more robust and resilient cotton supply chain. They connect global brands and retailers with farmers to create a transparent and traceable supply chain, train farmers in cultivation practices as well as support the improvement of farmer’s livelihoods and strong farming communities.