A line of trees along a farm boundary with a group of people walking along the edge of the crops

Biodiversity

Pilio is the Knowledge Partner on Biodiversity for Better Cotton. Through Better Cotton’s Growth Innovation Fund we’re leading an innovation project in Pakistan with SAMA^Verte to develop a biodiversity strategy for cotton.

A close up of a leafy cotton plant

Why is biodiversity important for fashion and textiles?

Biodiversity is a key component of a healthy ecosystem. In a cotton farming context, biodiversity can enable the resilience of the cotton crop against stressors like climate change. For cotton growing communities, biodiversity in the areas surrounding cropland can provide sources of food, shade, medicinal benefits, and joy. Our biodiversity strategy includes nature enhancement both on-farm and off-farm, recognising these are intertwined and together deliver benefits to cotton crops and farming communities.

A close up of a cotton bud on a cotton plant

Who are Better Cotton?

Better Cotton is a cotton sustainability programme and certification with 2.2 million farmers worldwide, the majority of which are smallholders in the Global South. Better Cotton ensures sustainably in cotton farming through its Principles and Criteria. One of these Principles is Natural Resources, which includes Criteria on biodiversity: high conservation value areas, riparian zones, and land degradation.

'Better Cotton' blue text logo with green 'B' containing a cotton icon

Our biodiversity approach

Working in the South Punjab region of Pakistan, Pilio is taking a grounded approach to developing a biodiversity strategy that is both scalable and replicable so that Better Cotton can role this out across all its farmer geographies. We’re working with Better Cotton’s implementing partner, WWF Pakistan.

  • A woman in traditional Pakistani clothing writing on a clipboard next to a tree

    Biodiversity Baselining

    Developing a community-driven biodiversity baselining methodology which combines the best available scientific data on habitats and species with local knowledge and values.

  • A line of small cotton sprouts at a cotton farm

    Farm System Profiles

    Using findings from the biodiversity baseline, showcase the current state of nature on-farm and off-farm in the cotton farming community. This can be used to track enhacement over time.

  • A group of women in traditional Pakistani clothing pointing at a page of images of species found in cotton growing areas of Pakistan

    Community Biodiversity Enhancement Plans

    Co-develop plans with cotton farming communities to implement biodiversity enhancement interventions that respond to community needs.

Get in touch

We want our biodiversity strategy to be an open source protocol that can be explored in other commodities and geographies for the enhancement of nature. We’re open to working together to share our learnings. Get in touch!