Jack & Jones, one of Bestseller's brands, will incorporate cotton from Pakistan-based Artistic Milliners' first regenerative harvest into its denim collections.
Regenerative agriculture seeks to restore the natural environment by enhancing soil health, increasing biodiversity, and capturing more carbon.
Artistic Milliners is venturing into regenerative agriculture as part of a holistic pilot project aimed at exploring more sustainable cotton cultivation methods.
The regenerative agriculture pilot project is being executed in Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, with close collaboration between Artistic Milliners, the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan, and local government bodies. The initiative follows Control Union's certification programme, RegenAgri.
While there is no universally accepted definition of "regenerative agriculture" and its measurement, this initiative aims to show a growing trend in the industry towards more sustainable farming practices.
"By integrating regenerative practices in our supply chain, Artistic Milliners is investing in the future of our planet by mitigating environmental challenges posed by agriculture," said CEO of Artistic Milliner’s, MR Murtaza Ahmed.
Bestseller also aims to collect on-the-ground data to evaluate the impact and scalability of regenerative practices, as part of their ongoing commitment to sustainability.
This collaboration not only provides access to regenerative cotton but also claims to serve as a valuable learning opportunity for implementing restoration techniques, measuring methods, and sustainable farming practices.
Danique Lodewijks, senior project specialist at Bestseller Sustainability, acknowledged the complexities of regenerative practices while emphasising the importance of embracing them: "Implementing regen-cotton into our supply chain - starting with Jack & Jones - can be a way to meet our sustainability goals, and that's why we are keen to learn and explore more.
“Looking into regenerative cotton with Artistic Milliners builds on our current cotton commitments, where our approach focuses on actively supporting cotton farming practises on the ground through investment and sourcing policies. Bestseller is continuously increasing our direct-to-farm approach which ensures a 100% traceable cotton,” said Lodewijks.
In the context of climate change and its effects on agricultural systems, Artistic Milliners highlighted the significance of prioritising soil health through practices like cover cropping and minimal tillage, which enable healthy soils to store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by minimising the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides.
