To maintain our Fashion FWD goal regarding 100 percent certified and branded cotton – such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, In-conversio cotton, CmiA (Cotton made in Africa) and Better Cotton - , Better Cotton has been set as a minimum requirement for all suppliers. This prerequisite has also been added as a minimum onboarding requirement for new suppliers. 

The organic cotton market has, however, been challenged the previous years and we anticipate that this will continue. There’s limited amount of organic cotton available due to industry wide integrity issues, traceability of organic cotton and inflationary pressures on the global supply chain. 

Therefore, we continue to increase our direct-to-farm approach as a response to the severe imbalance between global demand and the global supply of organic cotton. Direct-to-arm aims to increase the production of organic cotton. See info below about the Direct to farm concept.  

Currently, we have chosen to focus on certified and branded cotton which include organic cotton, recycled cotton, In-conversion cotton, CmiA Organic cotton (Cotton made in Africa) and Better Cotton. 

These are important standards for the industry that we must continuously adjust in partnership collaborations to support enhanced traceability, integrity and continuous improvement. 

We’re official partners of both the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) – the only multi-stakeholder organisation fully dedicated to organic cotton – as well as the Better Cotton programme. 

Organic cotton is grown using organic farming practices. described below. Organic production systems prohibit the use of synthetic toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilisers, as well as genetically engineered seed. 

We have set a target for sourcing at least 30 percent of our overall target from organic cotton. 

Cotton can be recycled from pre-consumer waste, which comes from any excess material produced during the production of yarn, fabrics and textile products, or post-consumer waste, which comes from discarded textile products (e.g. used apparel and home textiles). 

There is a technological challenge when recycling cotton as these fibres are shorter than the original fibres, making them more difficult to spin. Therefore, recycled cotton is often blended with virgin cotton fibres to improve the quality of the yarns. 

BESTSELLER has been an active member of Better Cotton since 2011. 

Better Cotton’s mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive. Farmers are trained to use water efficiently, care for soil health and natural habitats, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and respect workers’ rights and wellbeing. 

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we ‘source.’ Mass balance is a model that is sometimes chosen to support new sourcing models reach scale, as it is easier to handle in the initial (and difficult) phases of rolling out a new sourcing model.  

BESTSELLER has been sourcing Better Cotton since 2012 and we support strategic investments into Better Cotton projects to increase the volume and traceability of Better Cotton. 

Better Cotton has been set as a minimum requirement for all suppliers. This prerequisite has also been added as a minimum onboarding requirement for new suppliers. 

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) aims to improve the living conditions of smallholder cotton farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa by helping them help themselves through trade (the aid by trade principle). 

The farmers are trained in cultivation methods, and an international alliance of textile companies source the CmiA raw material and pay a licensing fee to use the seal. 

The proceeds from licensing fees, are reinvested in the project regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. BESTSELLER uses CmiA’s ecological standard, CmiA-Organic. 

Less than one percent of the world’s cotton is grown and certified using organic practices. To encourage more farmers to convert to organic cotton farming, BESTSELLER has enrolled cotton in the process of becoming organic – called in-conversion cotton – in our portfolio of branded and certified cotton. 

The cotton is grown using the methods and materials allowed in organic farming practices during a conversion period of typically three years. In reward, the farmer earns a higher price for the cotton in the conversion period. Enrolling in-conversion cotton is a way to support and reward farmers for their commitment towards getting their organic cotton certification. 

We’ve invested in farmer programmes to support this transition period. In-conversion cotton will also support BESTSELLER’s strategy of a direct-to-farm sourcing model in collaboration with partners such as CmiA and OCA. 

The direct-to-farm approach ensures traceable cotton and a verified premium for the farmers. When sourcing through direct-to-farm, we know where our raw materials come from and the communities that grow it, what impact our investment has, and how our pre-financing of seeds has helped. 

We continue to increase our direct-to-farm approach markedly as a response to the ongoing severe imbalance between global demand and supply of organic cotton and to make sure our investments benefit the farmers directly.