The basis of sustainable cotton schemes.
What is ‘sustainable’? We all think we know it, instinctively, because it is part of our modern lexicon. But do we? It can be even more confusing when mentioning the term ‘regenerative’. How do we then dig down to defining sustainable agriculture? Sustainable cotton? Does sustainable cotton exist in a vacuum as a single crop? Or does it need to be sustainable in a wider farming, processing and rights system that covers labour, women’s, and human rights? All standards do have some common foundations – and all interpret them, which explains why there are many standards, and why there can be major differences in focus and adoption of elements between them, defined by practicalities, as well as geography. The principles come from theories, including agroecology, which will sometimes cover non-production related items as well as farming. But Integrated Pest Management (IPM) focuses specifically on the agricultural and ecosystem elements. Regenerative, coming in many shapes and forms, can va...