Better Cotton, the world's largest cotton sustainability initiative, has announced the revision of its Principles & Criteria (P&C) to drive continuous improvement and deliver sustainability impact at field-level.

The P&C define the organisation's approach to more sustainable cotton production, and farmers must comply with the requirements to attain a licence and sell their cotton as 'Better Cotton.'

More than two million farmers worldwide, from large to smallholder operations, currently hold a licence. The revised Principles cover Management, Natural Resources, Crop Protection, Fibre Quality, Decent Work, and Smallholder Livelihoods, as well as Gender Equality and Climate Change.

The revised standard will have a farmer-centric approach and serve as a more locally relevant standard that addresses the environmental, social, and economic matters most pertinent to cotton production today.

The P&C revisions will ensure the responsible use, conservation, and enhancement of natural resources and promote wellbeing in farming communities, supported by more robust requirements surrounding Decent Work and Gender Equality, in addition to the inclusion of a new principle: Smallholder Livelihoods.