Sustainable cotton ranking: assessing company performance
The majority of international companies using most cotton globally are failing to deliver on cotton sustainability according to new independent research published by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK, Solidaridad and WWF. Just eight companies out of 37 made it out of the red zone in the ranking research conducted by Rank a Brand, one of Europe’s largest brand-comparison sites on sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Only home furnishing giant IKEA, who top the ranking, score in the green zone with 12 out of a maximum of 19.5 points. C&A (9), H&M (9) and Adidas (7.75) follow in the yellow zone, while Nike (6.75), M&S (5.5), VF Corporation (3.25), and Kering (3) are in the orange zone. Another 29 companies fall in the red zone and appear to do virtually nothing on cotton sustainability. IKEA, C&A and H&M are showing how cotton sustainability is good for business but many top companies are failing to deliver. Sourcing more sustainable cotton has never been easier so there is no excuse for companies not to offer more responsible products to customers.