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#Raw Materials

Better Cotton renews Standard Recognition Agreement in Brazil

Better Cotton has announced the renewal of its standard recognition agreement with ABRAPA, the Brazilian Cotton Growers’ Association.
Cotton flower at Samambaia Farm, GMS Group, Luziania District, Goias, Brazi © 2025 Better Cotton / Carlos Rudiney
Cotton flower at Samambaia Farm, GMS Group, Luziania District, Goias, Brazi © 2025 Better Cotton / Carlos Rudiney

The agreement comes into effect retroactively from October 2024 to October 2025 and will automatically renew for an additional three years should all requirements be met. 

Since 2014, ABRAPA’s Responsible Brazilian Cotton (ABR) Programme has been recognised as equivalent to the Better Cotton Standards System (BCSS), enabling domestic farmers to sell their cotton as ‘Better Cotton’ in national and international markets. 

In the 2023/24 cotton season, the 440 Brazilian farms who were awarded ABR certification produced more than three million metric tonnes of Better Cotton. This means that ABR/Better Cotton-certified cotton represents more than 83% of Brazil’s total cotton production. 

Better Cotton requires Strategic Partners to periodically reassess and, where necessary, realign their standards with the BCSS to maintain standard equivalence. This ensures that both standards evolve to continually support cotton farmers in meeting market demand for more sustainable cotton.?? 

The new standard recognition agreement reflects a continued alignment of the Better Cotton Standards System and the ABR Programme.




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#Raw Materials

Better Cotton Initiative strengthens regenerative focus in standard update

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has strengthened the regenerative focus of its field-level standard with the launch of a new version of its Principles & Criteria (P&C), which marks the next step in the organisation’s journey to becoming a regenerative standards system.

#Raw Materials

Better Cotton Initiative marks certification anniversary with progress update and accreditation

One year since becoming a certification scheme, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has announced that more than 3,000 supply chain actors have been certified. At farm level, more than 30% of farms and producer units supplying BCI Cotton have received a positive audit outcome.

#Raw Materials

Better Cotton Initiative opens enrollment in the US with promising opportunities for producers

Producer enrollment for the US Program of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is open until May 15 for the 2026-2027 season. With over 2,600 members spanning the cotton supply chain and more than 11,000 users of its Better Cotton Platform (BCP) as of 2025, BCI’s standard is implemented in 15 countries and covers one fifth of global cotton production.

#Natural Fibers

Better Cotton Initiative partners with Uzbek government agency to offset certification costs

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has today announced a strategic agreement with Uzbekistan’s Light Industry Agency to increase financial support for cotton farming clusters adopting sustainable agricultural practices.

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#Raw Materials

CSITC adds ABRAPA as a round trial sample provider

Beginning with the Q2 2026 Round Trials, the ICAC's Committee on the Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton has expanded its sample provision framework by adding the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (ABRAPA) as an official sample provider.

#Raw Materials

Dr N Vigneshwaran is named 2026 ICAC Researcher of the Year

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is pleased to announce the selection of Dr N Vigneshwaran, Principal Scientist and Head of the Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division at the ICAR–Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT), Mumbai, India, as the ICAC Researcher of the Year 2026.

#Raw Materials

Global Cotton area and production are projected to decline in the 2026/27 Season

The June 2026 issue of Cotton This Month projects a modest contraction in global cotton area, production, and trade during the 2026/27 season, reflecting weaker demand sentiment, rising production costs, and shifting environmental factors across major producing nations.

#Raw Materials

New U.S. cotton study uses real-world grower data to reveal where fiber impacts occur

Cotton Incorporated has released a critically reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) of U.S. cotton fiber production that examines how cotton’s environmental impacts are measured and where meaningful improvements can be made across the value chain. The new data, grounded in real‑world grower inputs, measures what drives U.S. cotton’s environmental footprint from field to gin.

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