Boohoo Group announces the launch of its sustainable range – made from cotton grown sustainably - in partnership with CottonConnect, having trained 2,500 farmers about the benefits of more sustainable cotton production and good business practices.

Creating a more transparent supply chain which allows the business to trace the cotton used to make their customers favourite garments back to the village they were grown in

-The boohoo Group have partnered with CottonConnect in Pakistan to produce our REEL (responsible environment enhanced livelihoods) cotton.
-This process has involved detailed training at specially developed demonstration plots
-Supporting the commitment to consumers in offering more sustainable options and helping signpost product with the ‘Ready For the Future’ label

The boohoo Group are passionate about educating and empowering individuals both internally and across their supply chain. The CottonConnect partnership educates farmers about the benefits of more sustainable production methods, which the farmers themselves say produces a better yield and higher net income which is allowing them to give better education and health facilities to their children

Nothing is wasted, as during the cleaning process the seeds are captured and used to either replanted or used as a by-product to create cooking oil or as fuel in a local factory. It empowers the farmers with the knowledge around the benefits of reducing the use of pesticides, an action which has resulted in the honeybees returning to the cotton field allowing the farmers to produce their own honey, providing an additional revenue stream.

The process allows clear traceability and the TraceBale system provides data enabling the business to trace and track the cotton throughout the supply chain journey. It starts on the farm and picking the final cotton from the 2021 harvest. The cotton is then cleaned using a process called ginning and transported from the field to be spun into yarn, then woven into fabric and dyed. Finally, the fabric is manufactured into the final garment before being photographed ready for the customer to buy.

The also supports the boohoo groups test and repeat model, meaning we can more accurately predict customer demand for our clothes than traditional retailers who produce season collections. As a result, we can significantly reduce the amount of unsold stock.

This is just the beginning of our REEL cotton journey, but we committed to the farmers and the programme as we work towards our long-term goal of ensuring all our cotton is more sustainable sourced.

Andrew Reaney - Director of Responsible Sourcing & Product Operations
‘We are delighted to be partnering with CottonConnect and the individual farmers in Pakistan. I have been able to see the project first-hand and the benefits the CottonConnect program provides, including in-depth training, a better yield of cotton, lower costs, and environmental benefits. We are committed to supporting the farmers and it is only year one of this partnership, we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds.’

Abou Bakar, Programme Manager at CottonConnect commented. Based on the group in Pakistan “The key lies in empowering the smallholder farmers and landless workers who form the backbone of the rural economies to grow their incomes and improve their livelihoods by raising agriculture productivity, protecting the ecosystem as well. Sustainable practices lead towards food safety and business continuity. We have connected with the cotton farmers to bring measurable improvements in the rural livelihood and allied supply chains.”

Notes to Editors
About CottonConnect

At CottonConnect we are Reimagining the future for supply chains - we help global brands source more fairly and sustainably by creating more robust, resilient and successful raw material supply chains.

We help to improve the sustainability of the world’s textile supply chains. This enables textile producers and raw material farmers to work more responsibly and enjoy better livelihoods. We also help brands access more sustainable cotton and other natural fibres to create transparent, traceable and resilient supply chains that will continue to deliver the best raw materials – now and in the future.

The Leicester Garment and Textile Workers Trust
The Trust’s founding mission will be to create positive and lasting change for the benefit of the wider industry – providing guidance, advocacy and remedy to anyone working in the garment industry in Leicester. The Trust has been supported by a donation of £1.1m by the boohoo group and its founding Trustees bring with them expertise from the fields of modern slavery, enforcement, local community engagement and politics.

Boohoo group Thurmaston Lane Leicester – Championing Ethical British Manufacturing

• The manufacturing site started production in January 2022
• The 23,000 sq. ft. site delivers capacity for tens of thousands of garments, with facilities to support both made to order and printing
• The factory represents millions of pounds worth of investment into the local economy, delivering up to 200 new jobs

For further information please contact: katie.curran@boohoo.com