Indigo Partners With the Better Cotton Initiative

By Cotton Grower Staff|June 5, 2018

Indigo Ag, Inc., has joined the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) as a member and Implementing Partner.

Through this partnership, U.S. Indigo Cotton will be produced in accordance with the Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS) Principles and Criteria. The BCSS covers three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic, supported by the Principles and Criteria. These match Indigo’s goals of minimizing the impact of harmful crop protection practices, improving water stewardship, enhancing fiber quality, and promoting healthier soil.

Indigo will support growers of Indigo Cotton throughout the BCI licensing process, conducting field-level training and outreach, verification visits, and data collection to demonstrate continuous improvement and quantify the benefits of producing Better Cotton for farmers and the environment. Cotton growers who work with Indigo not only stand to gain from the Better Cotton program – whose advantages include access to buyers of transparently-produced cotton and reduced on-farm input costs – but also from the productivity increases that stem from Indigo microbial seed treatments.

“At Indigo, we are aligning agricultural practices with consumer demands for food and fiber that is responsibly produced and sourced,” said David Perry, president and CEO of Indigo. “The Better Cotton Initiative is a natural partner, and we look forward to joining them in their effort to establish Better Cotton as a sustainable and broadly accessible fiber.”

Scott Exo, U.S. Country Manager for BCI, noted, “Indigo has demonstrated a very strong commitment to helping their farm partners fulfill all of the requirements for Better Cotton licensing, and to using their considerable agronomic and data-gathering resources to help farmers make and measure sustainability improvements in their farming operations. We look forward to working with them.”