By Zhao Zihan

Better Cotton Initiative （BCI） 2016 General Assembly was held in Hong Kong from June 14th to 15th， attracting 205 participants from 26 countries. The participation once again demonstrated the multi-stakeholder and inclusive nature of BCI. All members took the opportunity to reconnect， network and discuss the challenges they face in transforming the future of cotton - metric ton by metric ton.

The theme of the 2016 General Assembly was“transformation”. According to Ruchira Joshi， Demand Programme Director at BCI， “BCI has come a long way in six years and we are poised on the brink of a major shift in cotton production and procurement - one that makes more sustainable cotton business as usual. This cannot be achieved without your commitment as a member. So whether you work at field level， in manufacturing or are a retailer of textile products， there is a role to play， and the time to act is now.”

Alan McClay， BCI CEO， opened the 2016 General Assembly with a member update. He outlined the specific aims for market transformation and the target they have set： 30% of world cotton production is produced as Better Cotton； 5m farmers produce Better Cotton； 10% of world cotton production is procured as Better Cotton； national embedding in nine countries or territories； and 100% financial self-sufficiency of the BCI Secretariat.

The General Assembly was highlighted in the following sections： keynote speeches， New Council election， Q&A with the leadership team， breakout sessions， and panel discussions.

Keynote speeches

■ Featured speaker， Helena Helmersson， Global Head of Production at H&M， presented the inspiring H&M strategy for “Impact through Scale” with BCI. H&Ms sustainability strategy will secure its business， meet customer expectations， take advantage of being a first mover and retain talent. “Leadership in sustainability makes business sense，” affirmed Helena.

■ Alistair Monument， Forest Stewardship Council （FSC？）， introduced the participants to the world of FSC with striking similarities on the challenges they experience and the lessons that BCI can learn from FSC.

■ Kai Hughes， Managing Director， ICA Bremen， presented a unique traceability solution involving nano-particles encased in cellulosic fiber. With this experimental method， ICA Bremen would like to make available an integrated package that provides authentication， identification， quantification and the ability to monitor materials through the supply chain with full logistics and security.

Karin Kreider， CEO， ISEAL， spoke to the audience about Standards and their Role in Transformation. She explored the value of standards to improve efforts on sustainability and was clear about the value and innovation that the BCI Standard brings to the cotton sector.

New Council elected

Ruchira Joshi recapped the General Assembly procedures， and revealed the results of the election.

■ Civil Society members welcomed 2 new representatives to the Council： Ambuja Cement Foundation （ACF） and Participatory Rural Development Initiatives Society （PRDIS）.

■ Supplier and Manufacturer members retained Olam International with their vote.

■ Retailers and Brands elected Marks & Spencer for Council representation.

Keith Tyrell， PAN UK， gave some key pieces of advice to new Council Members：

“Keep your sights on the goals of BCI， leave your organisations hats outside the door， for BCI is doing something that is truly transformational.”

Although， there are two available seats for the Producer Organizations， there were no candidates nominated. These seats do not stay empty however， BCI Statutes， have a provision for this situation and the seats will be filled in due course by the new Council， should they consider this necessary.

Q&A with the Leadership Team

Day 1 closed with questions for the BCI Leadership Team. Membersquestions reflected on-going interest in BCIs next moves， the ability to meet 2020 goals， and plans measuring impact and driving communications.

Breakout sessions

Introduction to Cotton Classification led by Kerem Saral Supply Chain Manager， BCI， and Bill Ballenden， Head of EBS Cotton Platform， Louis Dreyfus Company. In a practical session and using cotton samples from different origins， Bill explained cotton fiber specifications and the factors that influence cotton quality. It was concluded that Better Cotton is not a cotton species， variety， or a property and whats “better” is the way cotton is grown.

The BCI Toolkit： Communicating your Commitment to Sustainability led by Paola Geremicca， Communications and Fundraising Director， BCI.

It was a great opportunity for BCI to present the communications tools available for members and to discuss and brainstorm about what else is needed to enable members at all stages in the supply chain to promote their commitment and support for BCI， ultimately contributing to increased demand and uptake of Better Cotton.

BCI Standard Review led by Gregory Jean， Standards and Assurance Manager， BCI， was a session designed to understand the level of consensus among members in specific topic areas being explored in the BCI standard revision. The results would provide valuable input as the BCI Secretariat finalises the second revision draft and prepares for the second public consultation.

Panel Discussions

The second day of the General Assembly started with stories of transformation from the field and supply chain.

■ Transforming the Future of Cotton in the Field

Lena Staafgard， Chief Operating Officer， BCI， hosted a panel with partners sharing their experiences. Panelists included Hu Xuewei， a cotton farmer from China and representatives from CottonConnect - India， Israel Cotton Production& Marketing Board， Lok Sanjh Foundation - Pakistan and Sarob Consumer Cooperative - Tajikistan.

The panellists shared insights on topics as diverse as breeding beneficial insects， creating farmer cooperatives， saving and re-using water and much more. It reminded us all why we work so hard to make Better Cotton a success.

■ Transforming the Future of Cotton In the Supply Chain

Ruchira Joshi， Programme Director for Demand， BCI， then hosted a panel reflecting views of the supply chain including retailers. All businesses on the panel demonstrated a clear commitment to Better Cotton as part of their future success and a willingness to learn and increase uptake. All agreed that strong demand by retailers and brands is the key to success.