Primark plans to train more than 160,000 independent cotton farmers—over five times its current enrollment—in sustainable farming methods across India, Pakistan and, for the first time, China.
The brand has been working with agricultural enterprise CottonConnect and grassroots stakeholders since 2013 to train farmers in three-year batches on ‘more natural,’ climate-appropriate techniques that slash water and pesticide use and boost cotton yields. Participants in Pakistan, where the program launched last year, for instance, saw an 11.2-percent rise in yields, a 12.9-percent reduction in input costs and an average profit increase of 26.8 percent after their first year of training, Primark said. Many of the farmers, the retailer noted, have used their surplus profits to invest in farm equipment, children’s education or housing.
CottonConnect will collaborate with the Heping Cotton Farmers’ Cooperative, its implementation partner, to introduce over 80,000 independent cotton farmers in China to the scheme. Additional farmers will also be enrolled in Primark’s existing programs in India and Pakistan.
The retailer eventually plans to use only sustainably sourced cotton across its entire product assortment.
