What Does Climate Action
Mean to You?
At the 2022 Better Cotton Conference, we focused our attention on climate action and all the ways in which Better Cotton Farmers, Members, Partners and our wider network are all working to address climate change and focus their efforts on mitigation and adaptation.
During the conference, we took the opportunity to ask attendees what climate action means to them, both personally and in their professional roles within organisations spanning the cotton sector and beyond.
We heard a range of responses – from becoming carbon literate to tackling poverty to address unsustainable practices – illustrating not only how nuanced the challenges are, but also how we have many opportunities to take climate action, whether that be the small actions we take on an individual level or the systems changes we are driving as a sector.
Amongst the responses, there was one common theme that came up — collaboration — and how being part of a community taking collective climate action is essential to driving change.
Check out the videos below to learn more. And let us know – what does climate action mean to you?
Safia Minney, MBE
Fashion Declares & People Tree
Njeri Kimotho
Solidaridad Network
Rajan Bhopal
Pesticide Action Network UK
Fuat Tanman
Better Cotton Farmer
Chair, IPUD
Yasemin Arhan Modéer
Altitude Meetings
Mona Kassem
ALKAN Mohamed Nossier for Trading & Industry
Safia Minney, MBE
Founder and Director, Fashion Declares & People Tree
safia-minney.com | fashion-declares.org
Safia is an award-winning social entrepreneur and internationally recognised for the company she founded: People Tree, a pioneer of sustainable fashion. She led the business as Global CEO for 20+ years in Japan and Europe. Safia is recognised by the World Economic Forum as an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur and is a leading influencer and international speaker on sustainable business and supply chains, climate action and Fair Trade. Safia is an advisor, executive coach and author of nine books including; ‘Slave to Fashion’, campaigning to eradicate modern day slavery in the fashion industry and ‘Slow Fashion - Aesthetics meets Ethics’. Safia recently launched www.realsustainability.org to promote sustainable living and leadership and joined other business leaders inspired by Extinction Rebellion to establish www.businessdeclares.org.
"I think for me it's very much about climate justice. It's about becoming carbon literate both at a personal level and within your organisation."
Safia Minney, MBE
-----------------------
Njeri Kimotho
Global Gender Equality & Social Inclusion Expert and International Policy Advisor, Solidaridad Network
Njeri Kimotho is an international policy advisor, gender equality & social inclusion (GESI) expert, capacity builder, coach, and mentor working in inclusive sector transformation. She is an expert and consultant with field experience in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Her longstanding experience in international development intersects feminism, intersectionality, gender equality, social inclusion knowledge, and practices. Njeri has led regional and global teams, conducted feminist research, curated courses, and created partnerships with CSOs, INGOs, Donors, CBOs, private sector players, women’s rights organisations and movements, and governments. Njeri also is an Advisory Board Member for Diversity Advancement Network (DAN) in Toronto, Canada.
"For me climate change and action is encompassing not only the human beings but also the wildlife and everything that the environment supports."
Njeri Kimotho
-----------------------
Rajan Bhopal
International Project Manager, Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK)
Rajan leads PAN UK's engagement in agricultural supply chain initiatives. His work focuses on advising on strategies for reducing pesticide use and their risks and developing tools to improve the impact of farmer capacity building programmes. Before joining PAN UK, Rajan managed outgrower operations to train and source organic cotton from smallholders. He has experience in agribusiness and agricultural development in the UK, East Africa and Ethiopia.
"If we can take action to address all of these issues at once: climate, biodiversity, soils, farmer livelihoods... that to me is the action needed to address climate change."
Rajan Bhopal
-----------------------
Fuat Tanman
Better Cotton Farmer & Chair, IPUD
A Better Cotton Farmer since 2013, Fuat is part of a family that has been producing cotton for three generations. He currently runs his family farm in the Aydin province of Turkey. As a young farmer, he has implemented various pilot projects on his farm (including technology and sustainability-related projects) and has extensive knowledge of cotton production. He is currently the Chairman of IPUD, Better Cotton's strategic partner in Turkey, and a board member of the National Cotton Council of Turkey. Fuat studied economics and mathematics and has experience in an international auditing firm.
Climate action is very important for us, farmers, because we're feeling the effects of it firsthand."
Fuat Tanman
-----------------------
Yasemin Arhan Modéer
CEO, Altitude Meetings
Yasemin Arhan Modéer is the founder of Altitude Meetings, a company that works on meaningful projects and that is committed to working on sustainability, integration and democracy issues. Yasemin is a process leader and moderator. She works primarily on challenges and processes around societal issues, sustainability and business. Yasemin has great competence in holding and tying the common thread and putting together contexts. Since 2015, Altitude Meetings has pushed issues within sustainability through The Bridge AB whose main driving force is to find solutions to climate challenges. Yasemin has a broad and deep knowledge of sustainability and is well versed in climate challenges and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
"Everyone needs to be quite aware on how to actually address these huge challenges that we are facing."
Yasemin Arhan Modéer
-----------------------
Mona Kassem
Export and Import Manager, ALKAN Mohamed Nossier for Trading & Industry
Mona Kassem has been the Export and Import Manager at Alkan Mohamed Nosseir for Trade & Industry, one of the leading companies in the Egyptian cotton market, since 2016. Through Mona's engagement with Better Cotton, the company became one of the first two Better Cotton Programme Partners in Egypt. Through her role as programme coordinator at Better Cotton, she teaches sustainable practices to cotton production units composed of smallholder farmers, managers and field facilitators. Eager to specialise in cotton, Mona has undergone numerous trainings with Egyptian Cotton and UNIDO Egypt.
"Climate action should be on the top of our agendas and priorities."
Mona Kassem
Learn more
Conference Highlights
Towards the end of June 2022, Better Cotton's Annual Conference returned after an absence of three years. From regenerative agriculture to women taking climate action, speakers from throughout the cotton sector - and beyond - gave insights on how climate change is affecting cotton farming, and the lives of the people that are so connected to this crop. Check out the Better Cotton Conference highlights...
Climate Change Mitigation
& Adaptation
Better Cotton is meeting the climate crisis head on. Along with our extensive network of partners and members, we are working to make cotton farming more climate-resilient and sustainable, while aiming to protect the livelihoods of farming communities. Learn more about our Climate Approach...
Built with Shorthand