Better Cotton Issues 10-Year U.S. Impact Report
August 1, 2025 Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, has reached 10 years of operations in the United States having built a vast community of licensed growers and collaborators across 17 states.
This active network, including more than 300 licensed growers who produce over 11.5% of the total U.S. cotton volumes, is one of the highlights of the organization’s first U.S. 10-Year Impact Report, which spotlights key data insights and shows the impact of cross-sector collaboration in the U.S.
First presented to members of the organization at the 2025 Better Cotton Conference in June, the report covers the Better Cotton Program in the U.S. from 2014 through 2024, highlighting:
- Environmental improvements along the U.S. Cotton Belt
- Better Cotton Program Partners and licensed growers who are helping drive change at the farm level
- Updates from allied organizations and institutes that play an instrumental role in championing sustainability in the U.S. cotton sector.
“Better Cotton’s U.S. Impact Report speaks to the people on the frontline of our industry whose commitment and dedication has been intrinsic to continuous improvements at the farm-level,” says Ashley Barrington, Senior Country Manager of Better Cotton’s U.S. Program. “Collaboration is at the heart of our mission, and this report is testament to that. The insights it generates will help us take stock of progress and plan for the future.”
The commitment of growers to accelerating sustainability efforts has helped optimize soil health and biodiversity, while reducing pesticide application and improving water use efficiency across the regions where Better Cotton operates.
For example, to reduce the reliance on potentially harmful synthetic products, the number of Better Cotton licensed growers applying organic fertilizer increased from 6% in 2014/15 to 17% in 2023/24. The overall use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) has also been reduced since the 2020/21 cotton season, showing a 26% decrease in pounds of HHP active ingredient applied per acre.
Better Cotton also gathered information on growers’ adoption of a wide array of regenerative practices which the report categorizes according to impact area such as biodiversity, soil health, and water quality. As of 2020, over 80% of reporting U.S. licensed growers have implemented measures to address those priorities.
The Better Cotton U.S. Impact Report also spotlights the work of organizations and institutions that play an integral role in the success of the U.S. cotton sector, including the Soil Health Institute, Textile Exchange, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and Cotton Incorporated.
Information from Better Cotton
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