H&M, Levi’s, Adidas, Nike and many other well-known clothing brands use BCI grown cotton extensively in their knitwear and other products. During the meeting at the Uztekstilprom Association, the manager of the BCI start-up support program Rachel Beckett and the contact person for Uzbekistan, Mahmud Kodirjanov, discussed the issues of expanding the certification of cotton according to BCI standards and the official entry of BCI into Uzbekistan.

Since the lifting of the boycott on Uzbek cotton by the Cotton Campaign coalition, the interest of international organizations, including clothing brands, in cooperation with Uzbekistan will naturally increase. Given the growing demand for sustainable products in the textile market, it is necessary to increase the production of cotton grown according to BCI standards.

According to the BCI manager, one of the achievements of Uzbekistan is the availability of cotton resources in the country and the coverage of the entire process to finished products. According to BCI standards, it will be easier for Uzbek textile enterprises to track the process from the cotton field to marketing.

Currently, 5 cotton-textile clusters are included in the global GIZ program “Sustainable Cotton” and are being trained to produce cotton in accordance with the BCI System. In particular, in 2021, in cooperation with the Association, GIZ conducted training on BCI System for farmers and business leaders. As a result, in 2022, 3 clusters may become lixcensed Better Cotton if they meet the assessment requirements during the 2022-2023 season. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to further intensify cooperation and work to involve all cotton and textile clusters in this process.