Better Cotton has joined the global non-profit alliance, Cascale, in a three-year project aimed at standardising Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods across the cotton industry. The new methodology creates a common approach to measuring environmental impacts, such as global warming potential, water scarcity, and nutrient pollution, within cotton farming.

This initiative, led by Cascale, brings together key industry players, including Textile Exchange, CottonConnect, Organic Cotton Accelerator, and Cotton Incorporated. It addresses a significant need within the industry: creating a unified way to assess and compare environmental impacts using LCAs.

As an early adopter, Better Cotton has already implemented this standardised method, gathering data from its India programme covering the 2020-2023 growing seasons. This information will be available on Cascale’s Worldly platform, offering insights into key environmental metrics, including carbon emissions and natural resource use.

“With the launch of Better Cotton Traceability, we can now trace cotton back to its country of origin, enabling us to perform LCAs at a national level and stay aligned with the broader cotton sector,” said Miguel Gomez-Escolar Viejo, Better Cotton’s head of monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Better Cotton plans to release a detailed report and action plan in the coming months, focusing on ways to assist farmers in lowering their emissions. The organisation is also working on a Claims Framework, expected in early 2025, which will guide members in using LCA data for their reports and claims.