Better Cotton has launched a new effort as part of its activities in Brazil. The initiative unites key stakeholders across the country’s agricultural and textile sectors to build an even more ambitious vision for more sustainable cotton production.
The inaugural meeting of the Multistakeholder Dialogue, held in Brasília on 26 March, gathered representatives from cotton producers and exporters, textile associations, retailers, brands, civil society, researchers, government agencies, financial institutions, and NGOs. Together, they identified climate resilience, traceability, and greater collaboration as priority areas to shape future actions, help define best practices and tackle systemic agricultural challenges.
Lena Staafgård, COO at Better Cotton, said: “Brazil’s agricultural industry is vast and is not only a leading producer and exporter of cotton, but of many other commodities. By bringing together key stakeholders across Brazil, we create a platform to overcome mutual challenges and champion best practices. Together, I’m confident we can accelerate change, and I look forward to future meetings.”
This collaborative action will involve regular discussions and the identification of common objectives towards more sustainable activities. It will provide exchanges and useful new channels of communication not only within the cotton industry, but also alongside other agricultural sectors and their producers in Brazil.
Better Cotton has worked in Brazil’s cotton sector for more than a decade in collaboration with its Strategic Partner ABRAPA, the country’s association of cotton producers, also present in the inaugural meeting. Márcio Antonio Portocarrero, Executive Director at ABRAPA, said: “I see dialogue as a way for us to build a coalition of ideas and solutions together with diverse sectors that often tend to isolate themselves and think differently. This can only lead to progress and improvement.”
When crops help each other
In agriculture, closer collaboration across sectors is essential in order to address shared challenges and drive best practice adoption, as cotton is grown in rotation with other crops. The new initiative offers Brazilian cotton growers a platform for stronger engagement with industry stakeholders, to gain insights into their work and perceived risks, and for increased innovations to address sector-wide challenges.
With the direct involvement of representatives from different agricultural areas, plus retailers and NGOs, Better Cotton’s new Multistakeholder Dialogue in Brazil is well placed to achieve more ambitious progress towards increasingly sustainable cotton production, including all phases of the supply chain.
Representatives of retailers in Brazil have identified several ways in which this new dialogue can positively impact their work. “This was a highly educational environment, with very active listening,” said Kamila Garantizado, Sustainability Specialist at Brazilian clothing department store Lojas Renner. “It became very clear that the needs [of others] are relatively similar to ours—like improving communication.”
Support from civil society and government
An effective dialogue for the cotton industry also requires the involvement of experts and authorities beyond the agricultural sector, particularly those connected to sustainability and actions to fight climate change. Silvio Moraes, Senior Engagement Manager at Textile Exchange in Latin America, present at the event in Brasília, called the event a “very important moment.” “I commend Better Cotton for bringing together this entire chain, so many different stakeholders. I think this is something we’re sorely missing in Brazil: showcasing best practices and integrating the chain to help these practices spread further.”
The presence of representatives of the Brazilian government was another proof of the wide scope of the initiative. Thaianne Resende Henriques Fábio, Director of Brazil’s Environmental Quality at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, said the collective effort will benefit long-term sustainability prospects in the country. “This will promote collaboration and cooperation among the different segments of the production chain. Here we’re including the private sector, government, and associations – ensuring the continuity of sustainable and innovative practices.”
According to Álvaro Moreira, Better Cotton’s Senior Manager: Large Farm Programmes and Partnerships, the multisectoral dialogue allows the cotton sector to “embrace multiple perspectives” within cotton’s production and supply chain. “It will help us overcome challenges in a more efficient, transparent, and collective way.” The participants committed to continuing their collaboration with further conversations. They will reconvene in the coming months to drive further progress towards a more sustainable cotton production in Brazil.
