Sustainability initiative Better Cotton has appointed two co-chairs and five members to its council.

The co-chairs are Bill Ballenden, head of sustainability and innovation at Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Cotton; and Tamar Hoek, senior policy director for sustainable fashion at Solidaridad.

In a joint statement, they said: “The fact that we have a different role within the chain but share the same passion for cotton and sustainability will allow us to efficiently serve the membership, the council and the entire cotton value chain from farm to fabric.”

The other new members are Doug Forster, chief sourcing officer at J.Crew Group; Elodie Gilart, senior sustainability manager at Marks & Spencer; Nadia Bilal, managing director at Pakistan-based spinner Nishat Chunian; and Vicente Sando, executive coordinator at FONPA, Mozambique’s National Forum of Cotton Farmers.

Alan McClay, CEO at Better Cotton, said, “I’m excited to welcome our new co-chairs and members to the Better Cotton Council. Their experience, insights and perspectives will be invaluable as the council continues to evolve to best serve Better Cotton, its affiliated farmers and diverse network of members and partners.”

The Better Cotton Council is responsible for its strategic direction. Council members represent retailers, brands, manufacturers, suppliers and producers.

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The new co-chairs are Bill Ballenden, a newly elected member and the head of sustainability and innovation at Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Cotton; and Tamar Hoek, senior policy director for sustainable fashion at Solidaridad.

In a joint statement, Ballenden and Hoek said: “The fact that we have a different role within the chain but share the same passion for cotton and sustainability will allow us to efficiently serve the membership, the Council and the entire cotton value chain from farm to fabric.”

Other newly elected members of the council are Doug Forster, chief Sourcing Officer at J.Crew Group; Elodie Gilart, Senior Sustainability Manager at Marks & Spencer; Nadia Bilal, Managing Director of Spinning at Nishat Chunian; and Vicente Sando, Executive Coordinator at FONPA, Mozambique’s National Forum of Cotton Farmers.

Ms Gilart said: “Cotton is the main material in our portfolio. Better Cotton has therefore been a key partner for us since we joined as a pioneer member back in 2009. Since then, we have achieved our cotton conversion target for all garments in 2019 and see this partnership as essential to progressing to the next level of our strategy, focusing on traceability and the acceleration of impact at the farm level.”

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o           “At J.Crew Group, our sourcing of Better Cotton is key to our goal to have 100% of our cotton sourced sustainably by 2025. Cotton is our largest volume material, representing nearly 70% of our fiber footprint, and we are committed to sourcing cotton that benefits both people and planet.”

•            Elodie Gilart, Senior Sustainability Manager at Marks & Spencer, currently leads the company’s raw materials and circularity strategy for clothing and home products.

Ms Gilart said: “Cotton is the main material in our portfolio. Better Cotton has therefore been a key partner for us since we joined as a pioneer member back in 2009. Since then, we have achieved our cotton conversion target for all garments in 2019 and see this partnership as essential to progressing to the next level of our strategy, focusing on traceability and the acceleration of impact at the farm level.”

•            Nadia Bilal, Managing Director of Spinning at Nishat Chunian, supports strategic raw material planning, market trend analysis and project management at the company, which is among the top ranked employers in Pakistan’s textile sector for women’s empowerment.

o           “Nishat Chunian Limited has been a trusted partner of Better Cotton from its beginning. In my new role as a council member, I look forward to engaging with all stakeholders for capacity building in upstream supply chains to make them more robust and transparent.  I am passionate about regenerative agricultural practices and making technology more accessible for cotton growers and ginners in Asia. Going forward, I will support Better Cotton for all sustainability initiatives, promoting innovation, inclusivity and the circular economy to drive sustainability within the global cotton industry and help make our planet a better place.”

•            Vicente Sando, Executive Coordinator at FONPA, Mozambique’s National Forum of Cotton Farmers, has a wealth of experience in agricultural development and advocacy.

o           “FONPA as an organisation representing mainly small farmers. Our contribution as a member of the Better Cotton Council is to work towards an inclusive, transparent, collaborative, and sustainable value chain that supports a decent work for cotton farmers.”

Better Cotton has also announced the re-election of Rajan Bhopal, International Project Manager (Supply Chain) at PAN UK, and Shahid Zia, Executive Director at the Lok Sanjh Foundation to its council.

With these newly elected members come the departure of three members from the Council. Gerson Fajardo of Walmart; Pierre Chebab of Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC); and Kevin Quinlan, Independent, have completed their tenures and now left the council.

The Better Cotton Council, which is the subject of a biennial nomination and election process, comprises a select group of members which sit at the centre of the organisation and are responsible for its strategic direction. Council members represent retailers, brands, manufacturers, suppliers, producers, and civil society across the cotton industry.

Together, council members shape the approach that ultimately enables Better Cotton to fulfil its mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.

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Editors Notes:

Better Cotton is the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. In challenging times, we are meeting the challenge head on. In the 2021-22 cotton season, through our network of field-level partners, 22% of global cotton production was Better Cotton, grown in 22 countries around the world. Our programmes reached 2.8 million farmers, which included more than 2.2 million Better Cotton licensed farmers. Over one fifth of the world’s cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard.

https://bettercotton.org/

From Retailers to Farmer Organisations, Better Cotton Council Welcomes New Appointments  - Better Cotton

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