As a denim-focused brand, cotton is the material we work with most so, naturally, we have spent a lot of time working out how to do it better. In 2023, we expect to reach our target our target that 100% of our cotton will be more sustainably sourced. We are proud members of the Better Cotton Initiative (BC) and very close to sourcing 100% of our cotton (that is not organic or recycled) through them. To help increase our uptake of organic and recycled cotton, we are finding and investing in more certified, traceable sources and stepping up our role in forward-thinking projects like the direct-to-farm initiative. For the efforts, Bestseller have been acknowledged by the Sustainable Cotton Ranking as a company that is ‘Leading the Way’ — an achievement that makes us even more determined to keep moving forward.
snapshot of our current cotton use:
● In 2022 6% of our cotton supply chain was third party certified organic cotton. That means the cotton has a positive effect on soil health, helps to protect biodiversity and is free from artificial pesticides and fertilizers and genetic modification. And let us not forget the climate impact; switching from conventional cotton to organic cotton reduced our CO2 emissions by 48% in 2020 alone in the raw material stage*.
● We constantly work on increasing our sourcing of organic cotton, in-conversion cotton and recycled cotton. For example from pre-consumer recycled cotton, some of it sourced through an innovative collaboration with CYCLO® and one of our top manufacturers GMS (more on that below). We source traceable cotton through the direct-to-farm initiative, both organic and in-conversion cotton. By sourcing in-conversion cotton we are supporting farmers in the transition phase from conventional to organic cotton production. With direct to farm we ensure transparency in the supply chain. From farmer to spinner, to fabric mill, to manufacturer. In 2023 we will convert our best selling basic styles to organic and in-conversion cotton sourced through our direct-to-farm project.
● The rest is sourced through Better Cotton. This means it has been grown in compliance with BC’s seven principles, including minimizing the harmful impact of crop protection practices, caring for the health of the soil and the promotion of decent work. We have been members of BC since 2012. Better Cotton is sourced through a mass balance system and is not physically traceable to end products. Nonetheless, when you consider BC sourcing across the BESTSELLER group, you are looking at an estimated 15.9 billion liters of water saved, 10,300 kilograms of pesticides avoided and 7.3 million EUR of additional farmer profitability — just in 2020.** More than that, as members of the Better Cotton Growth and Innovation Fund, we invest in projects that support and train local farmers to help increase the volume of Better Cotton overall.
Right now, we are focused on upping our use of organic cotton, with a goal to source at least 30% organic cotton by 2025. However, currently less than 1% of cotton available on the global market is organic, and tracing and verifying cotton’s organic credentials can be challenging. That is why we are proud to play a leading role in an initiative run by our parent company BESTSELLER called
direct-to-farm. The project is helping us secure a supply of organic cotton while giving us traceability right down to the farm where the cotton was grown and the farmer who grew it. Together with our suppliers, we are working to improve the organic cotton industry as a whole, building a model that is both scalable and transparent we are creating a secure market and premium payment for the farmers, facilitating third-party validated impact data and making future investments in farmer training.
Despite their name, our ‘leftover cotton scraps’ are not being left behind. Together with CYCLO® and one of our top manufacturers GMS, Auko Tex and Nafa, we have developed a closed-loop recycling system to turn any excess fabric into recycled cotton yarn. In 2022 we have launched five tees and one sweatshirt incorporating this fiber and hope to roll out more in the following months. You can learn more about that project here.
Bestseller’s efforts to source our cotton more sustainably have been recognized by industry bodies, organizations that analyzes the policies, uptake of sustainable cotton and level of transparency. They have given our parent company BESTSELLER ‘Leading the Way’ status for improvements made between 20217-2020 and we are one of 11 companies who have been awarded SCR’s top classification ranking. Textile Exchange has also given our cotton sourcing strategy a ‘Leading’ score of 4 in its 2020 Material Change Index. While we are not in it for the praise, it is nice to know we are on the right track.
*Based on Higg 3.1.1. Data at Higg.org. Percentage reductions apply to the raw material phase.
** BCI Farmers experience profit increases for a variety of reasons, most commonly due to increased yields and/or optimised use of inputs (such as irrigation water, pesticides or synthetic fertiliser).