The Better Cotton Initiative has released its most comprehensive impact assessment in five years, drawing on nine years of field-level data that spans nearly a quarter of global cotton production. Published on World Cotton Day, the report captures measurable progress across environmental, economic, and social dimensions of cotton farming, offering one of the most detailed pictures yet of how sustainable cotton farming is evolving at scale.
Key Environmental Outcomes Across Nine Years
According to the report, 69% of farmers participating in Better Cotton Initiative programmes reduced their synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use per kilogram of cotton produced. Alongside this, 65% of participating farmers lowered application rates of synthetic pesticides, and 54% recorded a drop in carbon emissions over the same period.
Water use efficiency also showed meaningful movement, with 52% of fully irrigated farms reducing water consumption per kilogram of cotton produced. These figures reflect a consistent, if uneven, directional shift toward more resource-efficient practices among BCI-affiliated farmers.
Progress in sustainable crop protection, however, remains mixed. The report notes that gains observed in smallholder settings have not yet been consistently reflected in larger-scale farming operations. The complexity of driving field-level change across diverse and disparate farming models continues to present challenges across the programme.
Economic and Social Progress Among Smallholder Farmers
On the economic front, 59% of smallholder farmers engaged in Better Cotton Initiative programmes saw improved net incomes over the nine-year period. This improvement points to the dual objective of the programme — advancing environmental sustainability while simultaneously supporting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who represent a significant portion of the global cotton workforce.
Women’s inclusion in cotton management roles has also seen considerable growth. Women now account for 17% of field facilitation and producer unit positions worldwide, nearly double the 9% recorded five years ago. This shift reflects deliberate efforts within the Better Cotton Initiative to broaden participation and representation in agriculture management.
2024–25 Season Highlights a Strong Annual Push
The impact report also features updates specifically from the 2024–25 growing season, which saw particularly notable results. During this period, 61% of BCI farmers reduced their synthetic nitrogen use compared to the previous year. Pesticide use fell by 40%, irrigation water use dropped by 43%, and overall carbon footprints declined by nearly half. These annual figures suggest accelerating momentum, building on the longer-term trend data captured across the nine-year assessment.
Scale of BCI Operations in 2024–25
The annual report published alongside the impact assessment outlines the operational scale of the Better Cotton Initiative during the same period. A total of 1.4 million farmers produced 6.1 million tonnes of licensed cotton, representing nearly a quarter of global supply. The Better Cotton Initiative’s Growth and Innovation Fund allocated €18.5 million during the 2024–25 season to support cotton farmers, with €17.8 million of that directed specifically toward smallholder farmers and reaching 1.5 million field workers.
Leadership Perspectives on the Report’s Significance
BCI Chief Executive Nick Weatherill spoke to the centrality of evidence in the organisation’s work: “Data and evidence represent the most important currency with which we operate and form the foundation for all aspects of our work — enabling us to strengthen our impact at field level and building the trust and confidence of the market and stakeholders in BCI cotton. It is also essential for us to deliver on our core mission and drive advancement of the cotton sector towards a more sustainable future.”
BCI’s Senior Director for Impact and Development, Iain Gardiner, described the report as “an unprecedented and transformative exercise,” adding that it provides not just outcomes but also guidance for scalable action and data-driven improvement across sustainable cotton farming globally.
