The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has announced that, with new retailers and brand members joining the organisation in the first quarter of 2018, around 350 brands are now committed to support farmers through the cotton initiative. BCI encourages better standards in cotton farming in order to develop Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity.

The organisation has added Guess Inc., OLYMP Benzer KG, Punto FA S.L (MANGO), and Rusta AB, as the newest brand members in the first quarter of 2018. BCI retailer and brand members are committed to supporting a more sustainable future for cotton production. They pay a fee to BCI based on the amount of cotton they source as Better Cotton. This fee is invested into training 1.6 million BCI farmers on more sustainable agricultural practices like reducing inputs, such as water and pesticides, and addressing gender equality and child labour issues.

The BCI, a global not-for-profit organisation, is the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world.