Olam Agri initially launched its regenerative cotton programme in 2020 to provide cotton farmers with the tools, resources, and access to market opportunities to mitigate climate risks, increase soil fertility, sequester carbon, encourage biodiversity, and manage water and energy use.
The new programme is described as the culmination of this work and will offer customers cotton products with full chain of custody certification from production, harvesting, ginning and storage, to shipment. All farms and ginning facilities under the programme will be certified to the Regenagri regenerative agriculture initiative.
Announcing the official launch, Ashok Hegde, CEO, fibre, agri-industrials and Ag services at Olam Agri, said: “At Olam Agri, we want to transform food and agriculture supply chains to have a net positive impact on climate, nature and biodiversity while ensuring transparency and traceability.
“We’ll be able to provide our customers access to sustainably sourced cotton that is fully traceable from production to shipment. By embracing regenerative agriculture, we aim to restore and enhance soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester more carbon, while fostering resilience and prosperity for farmers.”
In Ivory Coast, Olam Agri says it has already achieved Regenagri certification for 100% of its directly sourced cotton. A total of more than 250,000 hectares of land, 20,000 farm enterprises and both of Olam Agri’s ginning facilities that process 100,000 metric tonnes of seed cotton in the country have been accredited.
In the US, meanwhile, Olam Agri has received Regenagri certification for 15,000 hectares of farmland and three ginning facilities producing 20,000 MT of cotton.
Dr. Shailendra Mishra, Head of climate, environment, and natural capital at Olam Agri added: “This programme helps strengthen sustainability standards in the cotton supply chain. By harnessing agriculture to support healthy soil and yields, while providing end-customers with the assurance of their cotton product’s origin, this is a pivotal step forward in Olam Agri’s commitment to nature-, climate- and livelihood-positive goals.
“Embracing regenerative cotton builds more resilient supply chains, creating a unique opportunity for global brands and retailers to offer sustainably grown cotton to consumers worldwide.”
Agriculture supply chain management firm Olam Agri has formally launched its regenerative agriculture programme to support the production of traceable and sustainably grown cotton. With claims to be the largest certified regenerative agriculture programme in the cotton supply chain, the initial launch is taking place in the US and Ivory Coast, with a further roll out to Australia and Brazil expected to follow later this year.
