Speaking at the 2025 Better Cotton Conference in Izmir, Türkiye, Eva Benavidez Clayton, Senior Director of Demand and Engagement at Better Cotton, said:

“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 12 months, Better Cotton will complete the remaining steps to become a regenerative standard.”

“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.”

“This is a natural step in line with our commitment to constantly improve our standard, which reflects the latest scientific insight as well as our enduring focus on the economic and social wellbeing of everyone involved in cotton farming.”

As part of the steps it is now taking, Better Cotton is updating the Principles & Criteria which underpin its standard, as well as working to strengthen the capacity of Better Cotton Programme Partners to implement the standard and developing an outcome-based reporting framework.

The announcement was welcomed by other members on the regenerative practices panel at the Better Cotton Conference.

Peter Bunce, Head of Cotton at Indigo Ag, commented: “Thinking about the impact, particularly for the future of the programme, and how you built that into the regenerative programme, hands up, I think this is great progress, well done for doing it.”

Muzaffer Turgut Kayhan, President at IPUD, added:”Better Cotton showing an interest in owning regenerative agriculture is very positive.”