Conference Agenda
Please note, the conference will take place on CET. All sessions will be recorded and accessible on the event site for 7 days after the event.

Conference and Social Events Schedule

Tuesday 21 June
General Assembly

Welcome Drinks Reception
18:00 – 20:00
About: Join us on the rooftop bar Kasai at STUDIO (14th floor) for a welcome drink to kick-start the two-day conference ahead.
Attendance: All in-person attendees that signed up for this during registration.
Organiser Contact: annie.ashwell@bettercotton.org

Wednesday 22 June
08:00 – 09:00: Networking Breakfast.
09:00 – 17:30: Conference Day 1.
19:30 onwards: Better Cotton Conference Dinner at Slagthuset, Carlsgatan 12e.
Join us for a lovely summer dinner with great food, networking and live music.

Thursday 23 June
08:00 – 09:00: Networking Breakfast.
09:00 – 16:30: Conference Day 2.

Full Conference Agenda Day 1 – Wednesday 22 June

09:00 – 11:50: Plenary Sessions in Mega

9:00 – 9:10: Welcome Address
Speaker: Alan McClay, CEO, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

9:10 – 9:30: Climate Change Capacity Building: Understanding the climate risks facing the cotton sector and exploring the implications for future production
Plenary presentation
Speakers:

Charlene Collison, Associate Director, Sustainable Value Chains and Livelihoods,, Forum for the Future
Iain Watt, Climate Change Strategist

Room: Mega

9:30 – 10:10: Climate Change Capacity Building: How can the cotton sector build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change?
Plenary panel discussion
Speakers

Nigel Burnett, Cotton Grower Emerald Queensland and Cotton Australia Chair / Cotton Australia
Saleena Pookunju, Capacity Building Manager, Better Cotton
Chiara Trabacchi, Climate Change Manager, CDC Group

Facilitator: Charlene Collison, Associate Director, Sustainable Value Chains and Livelihoods, Forum for the Future
Room: Mega

10:15 – 10:35: 20-minute refreshment break

10:40 – 10:55: Keynote Address from Balubhai Parmar, Indian Farmer & Board Member, Somnath Farmer Producer Organisation
Plenary address
Room: Mega

10:55 – 11:10: Smallholder livelihoods: Shifting the economics of cotton farming
Plenary address
Summary: What is needed to shift the economics of cotton farming, and so improve the livelihoods and wellbeing of smallholder farmers and their communities? How does climate change affect the options available to us?
Speakers

Isabelle Roger, Senior Policy Advisor, Solidaridad Network & Better Cotton Council Members

11:10 – 12:00: Smallholder Farmer Panel
Plenary panel discussion
Summary: Exploring the challenges and opportunities facing smallholders in a world with a changing climate, from the perspective of farmers and partners from India, Egypt and Tajikistan
Speakers

Mona Kassem, Better Cotton Division Manager, and Export and Impact Manager, and ALKAN Mohamed Nossier for Trading and Industry (Egypt)
Sharipov Habibullo, Better Cotton Farmer (Tajikistan)

Facilitator: Saleena Pookunju, Capacity Building Manager, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

12:00 – 13:00: 1 hour lunch break

13:00 – 13:55: Breakout Sessions in Mega, Blackbox and View

1. Enablers of Landscape Approaches

Breakout panel discussion
Summary: Exploring the frameworks, investments, market mechanisms, platforms and funding that are needed to enable successful landscape approaches.
Speakers

Gregory Jean, Standards and Learning Manager, Better Cotton
Pramit Chanda, Global Director Textile & Manufacturing, Country Director - India, IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative
Willem Ferwerda, CEO & Founder, Commonland
Paul Chatterton, Founder & Lead, Landscape Finance Lab

Facilitator: Anita Chester, Head of Materials, Laudes Foundation
Room: Mega

2. Climate Change Capacity Building – Interactive Discussion

Breakout discussion
Summary: Taking a systemic approach to climate adaptation.
Speakers: N/A – interactive session
Facilitators:

Hannah Cunneen, Principal Manager, Forum for the Future
Charlene Collison, Associate Director, Sustainable Value Chains and Livelihoods, Forum for the Future

Room: Blackbox

3. Disruptors: Breakthrough Approaches

Breakout panel discussion
Summary: Leading partners - what innovative approaches could hold the key to greater impact at scale?
Speakers

Sunil Sundaine, Project Manager, Lupin Human Welfare & Research Foundation
Rajan Bhopal, International Project Manager, Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK)
Julio Cézar Busato, Cotton Producer & President of ABRAPA
Dr Oliver Knox, Associate Professor of Soil Systems Biology, cotton - School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England

Facilitator: Angela Russ, Senior Manager, Programmes, Better Cotton
Room: View

14:05 – 15:00: Breakout Sessions in Mega, Blackbox and View

1. Regenerative Agriculture

Breakout panel discussion
Summary: Going beyond the buzzword: how regenerative agriculture can help with climate change and more.
Speakers

Rui Fontoura, Fiber & Materials Strategy Lead, Textile Exchange
Marco Reyes, Senior Director Industry Initiatives and Portfolio Management - Responsible Sourcing, Walmart
P Vamshi Krishna, Associate Director (Sustainable Agriculture), WWF-India

Facilitator: Lena Staafgard, Chief Operating Officer Better Cotton
Room: Blackbox

2. Ecosystem Service Payments

Breakout panel discussion
Summary: How can ecosystem service payments be used effectively to benefit farmers? What are the opportunities and challenges?
Speakers

Ronald Vargas, GSP General Secretary, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Brooke Summers, Supply Chain Consultant, Cotton Australia
Martine Jansen, Head of Partnerships, Acorn, Rabobank

Facilitator: Emma Dennis, Senior Manager, Sustainable Agricultural Practice, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

3. Delta Project

Breakout panel discussion
Summary: Creating a shared approach to measuring and communicating sustainability progress – the Delta Framework.
Speakers

Francesca Mancini, Lead Sustainability Consultant, Delta Project
Kristin Komives, Director of Programmes, ISEAL
Evonne Tan, Data & Technology Director, Textile Exchange

Facilitator: Eliane Augareils, Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager, Better Cotton
Room: View

15:00 – 15:20: 20-minute coffee break

15:25 – 17:30: Plenary Sessions in Mega

15:25 – 15:45: Keynote speaker
Speaker: Safia Minney MBE
Room: Mega

15:45 – 16:30: Retailers, Brands and Sustainable Cotton Targets
Plenary panel discussion
Summary: How do retailers and brands plan on continuing to innovate and what will be the key driver that pushes them to meet the global target; net zero 2050?
Speakers

Gerson Fajardo, Director - Sustainability, Raw Materials, and Benchmarking, Walmart
Caroline McGarvey, Material and Innovation Area Manager Textiles at IKEA
Jeremy Lardeau, VP Higg Index, SAC
Elodie Gilart, Senior Sustainability Manager, Marks and Spencer

Facilitator: Paula Lum Young Bautil, Director, Membership & Supply Chain, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

16:30 – 17:25: Spotlight on Women Taking Climate Action in Cotton
Plenary panel discussion
Summary: Three women field staff from Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, who are working to inspire climate action in cotton communities.
Speakers

Gülan Oflaz, Field Facilitator, GAP UNDP (Turkey)
Narjis Fatima, Field Facilitator, WWF-Pakistan (Pakistan)
Mona Kassem, Better Cotton Division Manager, and Export and Impact Manager, and ALKAN Mohamed Nossier for Trading and Industry (Egypt)

Facilitator: Njeri Kimotho, Global Gender and Social Inclusion Linking, Learning Lead & Policy Advisor, Solidaridad
Room: Mega

17:25 – 17:30: Closing Address

Full Conference Agenda Day 2 – 23 June

09:00 – 09:15: Welcome address
Room: Mega

09:15 – 09:30: Keynote Address from Christina Niemelä Ström, Head of Sustainability, IKEA

09:30 – 10:20: Traceability – Learning From Others
Plenary panel discussion
Summary: Learning from others - perspectives on traceability opportunities and challenges.
Speakers

Kristian Doolan, Partnerships & Innovation, Farmer Connect
Evonne Tan, Director of Data & Technology, Textile Exchange
Ywe Jan Franken, Serious Farm Accelerator, Tony’s Chocolonely

Facilitator: Johan Zandbergen, CEO, Chainpoint
Room: Mega

10:20 – 11:05: Traceability – Building a Better Cotton Traceability System
Plenary panel discussion
Summary: Exploring where Better Cotton is now with its work on traceability - and what comes next.
Speakers

Amit Shah, CEO, Spectrum Cottfibers
Arvind Rewal, Global Cotton Development Manager, IKEA Group
Fransisco Ferreira Dos Santos, CEO, San JFS
Jacky Broomhead, Traceability Manager, Better Cotton

Facilitator: Alia Malik, Senior Director, Data and Traceability, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

11:05 – 11:30: 25-minute coffee break

11:30 – 11:50: Keynote Address from Lacy Vardeman, Owner of Cotter Key Farms, Cotter Ranch Ltd., and partner of Vardeman Farms Partnership
Room: Mega

11:50 – 12:35: Farmer panel: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Medium and Large Farm Context
Plenary panel discussion
Summary: Exploring climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as other sustainability challenges and opportunities from a medium and large farm perspective.
Speakers

Nigel Burnett, Cotton Grower Emerald Queensland and Cotton Australia Chair / Cotton Australia
Thiago Souza, R&D Management and Innovation on Regenerative Agriculture, Scheffer Group
Lacy Vardeman, Owner of Cotter Key Farms, Cotter Ranch Ltd., and partner of Vardeman Farms Partnership
Fuat Tanman, Better Cotton Farmer & Chair, IPUD

Facilitator: Amna Bajwa, Programme Coordinator, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

12:40 – 13:40: 1 hour lunch break

13:40 – 14:35: Breakout Sessions in Mega & Blackbox

2. Greenwashing and the Evolving Legislative Landscape

Breakout panel
Summary: Sustainability claims and greenwashing legislation - what's going on? What is best practice?
Speakers:

Imola Bedo, Policy Officer, DG Environment, EU Commission
Felix Fehling, Senior Coordinator, Membership and Engagement, ISEAL
Heike Blank, Partner, CMS Germany
Philipp Meister, Global Lead Fashion and Sporting Goods, Quantis

Facilitator: Ellie Gaffney, Member Communications Manager, Better Cotton
Room: Blackbox

3. Measuring & Reporting on Impact

Breakout panel
Summary: Examining innovative practices around impact measurement & reporting
Speakers

Vidya Rangan, Senior Manager Impacts & Evidence, ISEAL
Holly Browne, Assistant Director - Sustainable Apparel, Anthesis Group
Brooke Summers, Supply Chain Consultant, Cotton Australia
Haki Pamuk, Impact Researcher, Wageningen University & Research (WUR)

Facilitator: Kendra Park Pasztor, Senior Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

14:45 – 15:40: Breakout Sessions in Mega, Blackbox and View

1. Impact Investing & Sustainable Finance

Breakout panel
Summary: How can we unlock the potential of smallholder farmers through sustainable finance, including impact investing?
Speakers

Lars van Doremalen, Impact Investment & Partnerships Manager, Solidaridad
Heleen Bulckens, Senior Manager - Materials, IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative
Subindu Garkhel, Global Cotton & Textiles Lead, Fairtrade
Christoph Gosdenoz, Founding Partner, Fair Capital

Facilitator: Rebecca Owen, Director of Fundraising, Better Cotton
Room: Blackbox

2. Decent Work and Cotton

Breakout panel (virtual)
Summary: How does climate change exacerbate vulnerabilities of farm workers? What urgent collaborative action is required to reduce these vulnerabilities, and to monitor and mitigate the changing needs and risks on the ground?
Speakers

Jason Glaser, CEO, La Isla Network
Rachel Rigby, Human Rights Lead, Rainforest Alliance
Ashif Shaikh, Founder & CEO, Jan Sahas

Facilitator: Chelsea Reinhardt, Director, Standards and Assurance, Better Cotton
Room: View

3. Due Diligence & Cotton Production

Breakout panel
Summary: Due diligence management systems for identifying and addressing risks to support traceability requirements, meet due diligence regulations and help the industry prioritise risk mitigation.
Speakers:

Isabelle Roger, Senior Policy Advisor, Solidaridad, & Better Cotton Council Member
Patricia Jurewicz, CEO, Responsible Sourcing Network
María Luisa Martínez Díez, Public Affairs Director-Global Fashion Agenda/Policy Hub
Rashad Abelson, Legal Expert, Responsible Business Conduct, OECD
Ajay Sharma, Head, Supply Chain Management and Raw Material Procurement, The Raymond Group

Facilitator: Lisa Ventura, Public Affairs Manager, Better Cotton
Room: Mega

15:40 – 15:55: 15-minute refreshment break

15:55 – 16:15: Interview with Jason Clay
Plenary interview
Speakers:

Jason Clay, Senior Vice President, Markets | Executive Director, Markets Institute, WWF
Lena Staafgard, Chief Operating Officer, Better Cotton

Room: Mega

16:15 – 16:30: Closing Address Interview
Speakers:

Yasemin Arhan Modéer, CEO and Founder at Altitude Meetings
Alan McClay, CEO, Better Cotton

Room: Mega

About Better Cotton
Better Cotton is the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton. Through our network of field-level partners we have trained over 2.5 million farmers in 25 countries in more sustainable farming practices. Nearly a quarter of the world’s cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard.

2022 Sponsors