Primark, CottonConnect, & RUDI celebrate 10 years of PSCP

2023 marks a milestone for Primark, CottonConnect, and RUDI as the organisations celebrate a decade of working in partnership to create and scale sustainable cotton supply chains around the world. Primark, CottonConnect, and RUDI today celebrated the 10^th anniversary of the Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme (PSCP) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The celebration was attended by 150 women farmers associated with the programme from across the state.  

 Primark, CottonConnect and RUDI developed and launched the PSCP in India in 2013 with 1,251 women farmers with the aim to understand and reduce the environmental impact of cotton production, to support and improve the livelihoods of farmers, and to change the way Primark sources its cotton. PSCP works particularly with female farmers in India to increase their economic empowerment and self-reliance. The partners also wanted to address cotton’s complex supply chain and set up a traceable cotton supply chain using CottonConnect’s TraceBale, which helps track and segregate the cotton from farmers in the PSCP to Primark’s supply-chain ginners and spinners.

 Ten years on, the programme operates in three countries: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. By August 2022, 252,800 farmers had completed the three-year programme, or are enrolled in it.

 Katharine Stewart, Group Corporate Responsibility Director, Associated British Foods, said: “Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme’s 10-year milestone is a testament to our commitment towards reducing the impact on the environment and supporting women farmer livelihoods along with improving the way we source our cotton. Cotton is the primary natural fibre in over half of Primark's clothing products, and improving how it is farmed is highly significant in our journey towards sustainability. What started as a pilot is now one of the largest initiatives of its kind by any retailer in the world and has trained more than 252,800 farmers to date. I would like to congratulate our partners CottonConnect and SEWA for their expertise and support, which has made this a success.”

 Alison Ward, CEO, CottonConnect, said: “Creating sustainable, long-lasting change in cotton-growing communities is challenging and something that no single organisation can achieve alone. The PSCP has brought CottonConnect’s technical expertise and SEWA’s on-the-ground reach to cotton farmers to achieve Primark’s vision to source sustainable cotton. Over ten years the partnership has shown significant results for the programme farmers, their families, and the broader community, and in establishing traceable cotton supply chains. We started with shared goals ten years ago, and what we have achieved is truly transformational.”

 Heena Dave, Executive Director, RUDI Multitrading Co. Ltd., said, “I am delighted to be celebrating ten years of Primark’s Sustainable Cotton Programme. It’s an important milestone, and I would like to congratulate all partners involved.” She added, “Women play an important role in cotton farming in India, which is one of the world’s largest producers of cotton but are rewarded inequitably in comparison to men. The PSCP supports women through sustainable cotton production and has positively influenced the farming communities. The programme has increased the productivity and profitability of our women farmers in India.”

 The PSCP involves a three-year agricultural training aligned to CottonConnect’s ‘REEL’ agricultural code, providing farmers with essential skills through peer-to-peer training and tailored content, driving the adoption of more sustainable, scalable agricultural practices. The impact is that many women farmers have used their increased profits to invest in equipment for their farms, educate their children, or improve their housing and lifestyle.

 PSCP contributes towards the realisation of Primark's sustainability commitments by achieving three goals: reducing environmental impacts, empowering female farmers, and establishing more transparent and traceable supply chains. Primark plans to expand the PSCP to focus on more regenerative agricultural practices. Current pilots are addressing issues of soil, water, biodiversity, and livestock management.