Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) will open a representative office in Tashkent. This became known on October 14 at a meeting between the Chairperson of the Senate, the chief of the National Commission for Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labor Tanzila Narbayeva and BCI manager Rachel Beckett.
During the talks, the sides noted that the boycott of Uzbek cotton was canceled in Uzbekistan, which further expanded the opportunities for its products to enter the world market.
The parties agreed to introduce international standards for Uzbek cotton clusters, a tracking system for domestic textiles so that they comply with licensing.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a non-profit, multistakeholder governance group that promotes better standards in cotton farming and practices across 21 countries. As of 2017, Better Cotton accounts for 14% of global cotton production. Partner retailers include H&M, Gap, IKEA, and Levi Strauss, and include funding partners from USAID. At the end of 2017, BCI had 1,197 members – 85 retailer and brand members, 1,039 supplier and manufacturer members, 32 producer organisation members, 31 civil society members and 12 associate members.
