Duration: 15 minutes 54 seconds

Episode 1: The Cotton Challenge

Over 23 million tonnes of cotton are produced every year in 85 countries and 250 million people around the world rely on it for their income. We’re all familiar with it few of us actually think about how it is grown, harvested and sold into the supply chain and the challenges – principally the overuse of water and pesticides and low pay for farmers – that make it one of hardest raw materials to cultivate sustainably. We talk to two pioneers in the industry about the story behind ‘better cotton’. 

Guests: Mike Barry, Director of Plan A at M&S and Lena Staafgard, Chief Operating Officer at the Better Cotton Initiative.

Find out more about Marks and Spencer: https://corporate.marksandspencer.com

Podcast credits
Hosted by Rachel Silver.  
Researched by Daniel Himsworth and Charlotte Allport. 
Original music: "Blue" by Rose Betts (Vocalist) and Manon Dave (Producer). 
Produced and edited by Kevin Fasusi.