#Raw Materials

2024-11-14

Better Cotton signs roadmap to future-proof Uzbekistan programme

Better Cotton has today signed a strategic roadmap with leading authorities in Uzbekistan’s agricultural and textile sectors to accelerate the production of more sustainable cotton across the country and ensure the long-term prosperity of its Better Cotton Programme.

Sodikov Abduvali, Deputy Chairman of the Textile and Garment Industry Association (Uztekstilprom) [left] and Iveta Ouvry, Senior Director of Programmes at Better Cotton [right].© 2024 Better Cotton. Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2024. Description:

Formalised at a Better Cotton event in Tashkent, which welcomed representatives from government, civil society, and fashion supply chains, the roadmap has three core objectives:

+ Align a strategic partnership model and define management, finance and implementation responsibilities

+ Ensure effective cooperation with programme partners and stakeholders to promote sustainable cotton farming practices

+ Develop and implement a joint set of measures to eliminate barriers to scale

The agreement is with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Textile and Garment Industry Association (Uztekstilprom).

"This roadmap signals that there is much more to come from Better Cotton in Uzbekistan. Together with our partners, we can strengthen the foundations of the Uzbekistan programme and develop new solutions to ensure long-term success", said Katerina Gorbunova, Country Manager of the Better Cotton Uzbekistan Programme.

The roadmap will drive immense improvements to the Better Cotton Uzbekistan Programme by leveraging the network and resources of partners to streamline farmer enrolment, strengthen and expand field-level support, and increase investment opportunities through grants and government subsidies.

A priority will be to train the Ministry of Agriculture and Uztekstilprom to equip them with the knowledge and resources required to become Better Cotton Programme Partners and lead engagements with cotton farming communities.

Better Cotton will also work with its collaborators to strengthen assurance activities, reduce audit fatigue, improve the flow of assessment data, and engage supply chain actors to demonstrate the benefits of processing Physical Better Cotton.

Together, the organisations will help raise awareness of Uzbek cotton both nationally and internationally, and establish long-term sustainability goals for the Better Cotton Programme.

BCI warns against ‘dangerous dilution’ of EU corporate directives

The approval of the European Commission’s Omnibus I proposal by the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, accepting controversial changes to key sustainability directives is of great concern. These changes, namely to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), threaten to significantly dilute business reporting and due diligence obligations.

ICAC to collaborate with Uzbekistan and Bizpando on regenerative agriculture

The Government of Uzbekistan has allocated 55,000 hectares of land to implement a regenerative agriculture program for cotton as part of a collaborative project with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and Bizpando, a company with a a blockchain-based internet platform designed to ensure supply chain compliance.

World Cotton Trade declined 4.1% in 2024/25, according to ICAC's 2025 World Cotton Trade Report

Washington, DC — The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has released the 2025 World Cotton Trade Report, which covers trade developments in raw cotton since 1980. An annual publication, it provides analysis of world trade by region; import/export projections by country; matrices of trade flows; and seasonal estimates of export commitments to date.

ICAC releases 2025 edition of the Specialty Cotton Report

The ICAC has released the newest edition of the Specialty Cotton Report, a free publication that was created in 2023 to highlight the many new "identity cotton programs" that have been emerging around the world, in addition to covering long-staple (LS) and extra-long staple (ELS) cotton. For the ICAC's purposes, "specialty cotton" refers to any cotton that is remarkable in some way — LS, ELS, or falls under a specific identity program.

Fashion For Good launches “Beyond50 Denim” to address hemp integration barriers in global denim production

Fashion for Good, together with leading global brands BESTSELLER, C&A, PDS Limited, Reformation, and Target, launched Beyond50 Denim: Combining Cottonised Hemp and Green Chemistry, a project accelerating the use of hemp as an alternative to conventional cotton in denim. By combining two pioneering innovations (SEFF’s Nano-Pulse™ cottonised hemp fibres and FIBRE52™’s proprietary chemistry formulations with soft handfeel), the project seeks to demonstrate that hemp-based denim can match or even surpass cotton in both performance and appeal.

Innovation and customer proximity – KARL MAYER’s clear focus makes an impression

ITMA ASIA in Singapore was a resounding success for KARL MAYER, exceeding all expectations. The company welcomed visitors from 39 countries and held around 570 expert discussions. Most guests came from India, followed by China, Indonesia and Pakistan. The exchange with them was both well-founded and targeted. Conversation topics ranged from investment projects and new technologies to opportunities for cooperation and business expansion.

Catching heart disease early with AI-based sensor system

It slips on like a normal vest: Fraunhofer IZM has created a smart sensor system in cooperation with the Charité and the Technical University of Berlin. The vest records a vast array of cardiovascular parameters, which an AI-based system uses to support medical diagnostics and spot potentially dangerous developments.