Better Cotton hosted its inaugural Member Awards at its conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The awards were presented on 21 June by Better Cotton CEO Alan McClay and chief operating officer Lena Staafgard at a networking dinner.
According to Better Cotton, a non-profit that runs a cotton sustainability programme, the Member Awards were established to celebrate the contribution of members to the growth and success of the Better Cotton framework. They will take place annually at future conferences.
The Global Sourcing Award was given to the retail and brand member, and supplier and manufacturer member that sourced the highest volume of Better Cotton in 2022: the winners were H&M Group and Louis Dreyfus Company.
The Impact Storyteller Award is for an organisation with which Better Cotton has collaborated to spotlight compelling stories from the field: the winner was IPUD (İyi Pamuk Uygulamaları Derneği – the Good Cotton Practices Association) in response to content it produced from a field trip to Turkey. It covered the topics of decent work and children’s education, which generated the most coverage on Better Cotton’s website last year.
The Outstanding Contribution Award was for organisations that contributed “in an exceptional way” to Better Cotton’s revision of its principles and criteria, announced earlier this year. Representatives from the Alliance for Water Stewardship, High Conservation Value Network, Pesticides Action Network, and Solidaridad were all recognised at the ceremony for their support and input in refining the framework.
The Transformer Award was awarded to an organisation that’s been instrumental in shaping Better Cotton’s work since its conception. This year’s winner was IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative – due to its “continued and priceless contribution” since 2010.
Alan McClay commented: “I’m grateful for this opportunity to demonstrate Better Cotton’s gratitude to the businesses and organisations that have helped shape our initiative. Without them, our mission to help cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment, wouldn’t be possible.”
