Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 10
By Fakhri Vakilov-Trend:
Oksana Varodi, Senior Operations Officer at International Finance Corporation noted the progress on the Sustainable Cotton Supply Chain Development in Uzbekistan and listed the main conditions for Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to enter Uzbekistan during the Global Textile Days Tashkent 2019 forum, Trend reports with reference to IFC.
She stated during her speech that in 2017, within the framework of its Sustainable Cotton Supply Chain Development Project in Uzbekistan, IFC, in partnership with local industry stakeholders, initiated the implementation of the Sustainable Cotton Standard System based on the BCI principles in Uzbekistan.
“As part of the program, the country began introducing new practices and technologies for growing cotton which meet the requirements of international standards,” said Ms. Varodi at the International Uzbekistan Textile Conference.
The Project is currently partnering with Indorama Agro on implementing and testing the Sustainable Cotton Standard System, based on BCI’s principles in Indorama Agro’s cluster and contract farming models in Uzbekistan. Should the 2019 testing be successful and, if the other BCI requirements for a new country start-up process would be met, the Project will prepare and submit a Better Cotton Start-Up Plan to the BCI management team for approval.
According to her, among the main conditions for BCI to enter Uzbekistan are the following:
- Transparency on the nature of the engagement, including free access to journalists and/or NGOs who wish to visit /discuss/critique the programme;
- Independent 3rd party verification on all aspects of the program;
- Multi-stakeholder participation including a reputable civil society organization as a social monitoring expert in the project areas;
- Full implementation of the BCI programme: specifically including the prohibition of Child and Forced Labour, as well as the right to Freedom of Association for participating farmers and laborers (as specified in relevant ILO Conventions).
BCI is an international nonprofit organization that advocates improving cotton cultivation practices, including reducing the impact of cotton production on the environment and human health.
Many well-known knitwear brands such as H&M, Levi's, Adidas, Nike, and others purchase BCI raw cotton. IKEA has completely switched to the use of cotton grown by farmers using the BCI methodology.
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