Better Cotton to become regenerative standard

Cotton sustainability initiative Better Cotton announced at its annual conference that it would become a regenerative standard within the next twelve months.

“While Better Cotton’s field level standard is already recognised to cover many of the core tenets of regenerative agriculture, this move will further ensure that farmers who meet our standard are adopting the most commonly agreed regenerative practices,” said Eva Benavidez Clayton, senior director of demand and engagement at Better Cotton, at the 2025 Better Cotton Conference in Izmir, Turkey.

“It is increasingly clear that we need approaches that don’t simply mitigate or reduce harm, but that actively restore the environment. I am therefore pleased to share that over the next twelve months, Better Cotton will complete the remaining steps to become a regenerative standard,” added Benavidez Clayton.

A regenerative standard that actively supports restoring the environment

That means updating the standard’s principles and criteria, which lay out the global definition of Better Cotton through six guiding principles, and provide training to approved certification bodies to ensure that they are equipped to assess farmers against the revised principles and criteria.

The initiative will also work toward strengthening the capacity of the Better Cotton programme partners to implement the standard and develop an outcome-based reporting framework. For the remainder of the year, Better Cotton will thus conduct pilots to advance this work.

Next year, the initiative will collaborate with its in-country partners to provide tailored support for farmers as they adopt more regenerative practices.

„Better Cotton showing an interest in owning regenerative agriculture is very positive,” commented Muzaffer Turgut Kayhan, president at IPUD, Better Cotton partner in Turkey.