International brands and retailers have teamed up with Forum for the Future, with support from the C&A Foundation, to form Cotton 2040, a new initiative aimed at overcoming barriers to sustainable cotton and turn it into a mainstream commodity. More specifically, Cotton 2040 will promote the use of sustainable cotton within the fashion and apparel industry. The cross-industry initiative has brought together a range of stakeholders including M&S, Target, the Fairtrade Foundation, the London College of Fashion, as well as industry standards such as the Better Cotton Initiative and Cotton Made in Africa, organic standards represented by Textile Exchange, and industry initiatives such as Cotton Connect, Cotton Australia, IDH, Value Added in Africa and Organic Cotton Accelerator. Research and consultation with cotton stakeholders across the industry over the 2015/16 period enabled the identification of the priority areas for action, which will include: enabling an increased demand for sustainable cotton within the fashion and apparel industry; scaling up cotton recycling and circularity; building greater visibility and transparency throughout the cotton value chain and across standards; and creating a cross-industry forum to build resilience among smallholder cotton farmers. Working groups over the next two years will be developing best practice in processes across these areas, to share with stakeholders. The first group, “Building demand for sustainable cotton,” was launched in November 2016. Its work is providing resources and guidance on sourcing sustainable cotton. The tools which are currently being developed will be tested and piloted by members of the coalition, then shared with the wider textile industry in October.

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