Primark announces major expansion of its Sustainable Cotton Programme

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
May 6, 2022

Showing the depth of its commitment to its ​, value fashion/lifestyle retailer Primark said Friday that it will help train 275,000 cotton farmers in more sustainable production methods by 2023.

Expansion of its programme “shows further progress towards Primark’s commitment that all cotton in Primark’s clothes will be organic, recycled or from its Sustainable Cotton Programme by 2027”, it said.
 
To reach that 275,000 total, Primark pledges to add 125,000 more smallholder farmers to its programme.

This will expand the number of farmers involved by over 80%, having already trained nearly 150,000 farmers across India Bangladesh and Pakistan, 80% of whom are women.
 
This should increase the amount of sustainable cotton available for Primark products by 60%. Already, 27% of Primark’s cotton clothing is sourced from the programme, “which is fully traceable from a farmers’ village to shop-floor”.
 
The training also involves using fewer chemical pesticides and fertilisers and less water, “thereby lowering input costs and improving profits for the farmer”.
 
In-store, all the related products feature a blue heart Primark Cares label, across both fashion and homewares.
 
Lynne Walker, Director at Primark Cares, said: “It has taken time to build a programme of this scale, and the positive impact it has had on the livelihoods of thousands of farmers means we can continue its expansion.”