Gap Inc.
November 19, 2018
The global nonprofit
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) this week revealed its annual ranking of top companies who source sustainably grown BCI cotton by volume, and Gap Inc. ranked #4 on its top 10 list for 2017. Gap Inc. didn’t even make the list in the 2016 ranking, having
just joined BCI as a member brand in April 2016. The nod acknowledges the rapid strides that Gap Inc. is making to scale up consumption of cotton that is sustainably farmed and sourced.
“We’re proud to be recognized on BCI’s list of global brands who source the highest volume of responsibly farmed, sustainable cotton,” said Gap Inc.’s EVP of Global Sourcing, Christophe Roussel .
“The majority of the products manufactured by our brands are made with cotton, so we’re very pleased by the progress we’ve made to rapidly increase the sourcing of BCI cotton. Over the past year, we’ve accelerated our sourcing with alignment across our GIS organization and strong support from our brands. As a global enterprise that believes that environmental issues are human rights issues, Gap Inc. is committed to supporting BCI’s mission to provide training and incentives for farmers to adopt more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable cotton production practices.”
Gap Inc. joins H&M, IKEA and adidas as top global brands that support BCI and use the highest volume of Better Cotton in production. BCI works directly with more than 1.6 million farmers in dozens of countries around the world to adopt cotton-growing practices that use less water and fewer pesticides, while simultaneously decreasing production costs and providing farmers with access to international sourcing markets.
Since joining BCI in 2016, Gap Inc. has gone from procuring no BCI cotton to more than 120 million pounds of Better Cotton. At the brand level, the BCI partnership is helping Gap make progress towards its goal to source 100% of cotton through more sustainable sources. To date, the brand has sourced more than 60 million pounds of BCI cotton since 2016, which is just about the amount of cotton needed to make more than 40 million pairs of jeans.
Gap Inc.’s partnership with BCI is part of our broader efforts to integrate more sustainable raw materials and incorporate more responsible manufacturing practices throughout our value chain. For example, earlier this year, Gap Inc. announced a new commitment to
conserve 10 billion liters of water. The manufacturing goal is part of our comprehensive
water stewardship strategy, which also includes a focus on helping communities touched by our business, improve their access to clean water and sanitation, and improve water and energy efficiency at
mills and laundries.
Read more
here to see how Gap Inc. is becoming a more sustainable company.
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