Addressing Sustainability Issues with Voluntary Standards and Codes: A Closer Look at Cotton Production in India

Abstract

Cotton production plays an important part in India’s economy, providing livelihoods for millions of farmers and workers. The traditional methods of cotton growing can have negative environmental impacts due to excessive use of water, chemical pesticides and fertilisers. The health risks of using chemicals along with the high costs of inputs and uncertainty of income can cause serious social problems for cotton farmers. In an effort to address these issues and make cotton production more sustainable, global brands, retailers and NGOs have introduced voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) and codes. These include Better Cotton Initiative, Fairtrade, Organic (Global Organic Textile Standard and Organic Cotton Standard) and REEL Cotton. Each standard has a different focus and model, which, in turn, presents different implementation challenges, opportunities and results. Focused on addressing environmental and social sustainability issues, these VSS are complementary to the government policies and interventions targeting increased yield and trade.