A ranking system that scores apparel brands and other organisations on their use of sustainable cotton will be widened for this year. Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK, Solidaridad and WWF have released the list of companies that will be assessed in the new round of their Sustainable Cotton Ranking. to be published in October 2017.

The second edition of the ranking will include major companies from all continents including from countries such as China and Brazil and online companies such as Zalando and Amazon. As in 2016, the ranking will score companies on their policy, traceability and uptake of sustainable cotton.

In the first report, which was published in June 2016, IKEA Group, C&A, H&M, and Adidas, were ranked highest while VF Corp and Kering scored less in the report which judged brands primarily on their use of organic cotton. Fairtrade cotton, cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and Better Cotton Initiative sourced cotton.

Solidaridad said the target list of companies has been expanded to offer a more global representation of consumer-facing companies estimated to use more than 10,000 metric tons of lint cotton annually and include companies from emerging markets and online retailers. It added that creating a list of the largest corporate cotton users is challenging as most companies do not publish the volumes they use in their products.

The first Cotton Ranking claimed most companies using variable cotton globally were failing to deliver on cotton sustainability, with just eight companies out of 37 showing positive progress in the ranking. By conducting a second Cotton Ranking in 2017, PAN UK, Solidaridad and WWF said they expect to see that more companies have taken steps forward on their sustainable cotton policies, traceability and sourcing. The report will also include a market update on the available supply and uptake of cotton from the main cotton sustainability standards (organic, Fairtrade, Cotton Made in Africa and Better Cotton).