From polo shirts to ļ¬eeces, and from T-shirts to Undercolors brand items, cotton is by far the most prevalent ļ¬ber in Benetton Groupās collections. Thatās why the Company has made a public commitment to increase its sourcing of sustainable cotton to produce quality garments that have a reduced impact on the environment.
Organic cotton
In 2022, organic cotton ā that is, derived from non-genetically modified plants grown according to organic farming principles, without GMOs or chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and therefore with a lower environmental impact ā accounted for 12% of the overall production of all cotton items.
Recycled cotton
Since 2019, Benetton Group has increased its use of recycled cotton, a sustainable fiber derived from pre-consumption (production surplus) and post-consumption (fabrics and end-of-life garments) textile scraps. These are collected and sorted by color, then cut into small parts, frayed and re-used for new production of pre-colored yarns.
A studied mix of virgin fibers and recycled raw material (at least 20%) from certified supply chains allows the Company to produce items characterised by quality and durability, with a lower environmental impact.
Better cotton
From 2017 Benetton Group is a proud member of Better Cotton the worldās largest programme dedicated to cotton sustainability. According to the prescriptions of the programme, the Group sources cotton processed and grown by farmers trained to minimise the use of fertilisers and pesticides, use water and soil sustainably, and comply with the principles of equity in labor relationships. In 2022, the percentage of Better Cotton totalled 43% (calculated on the total annual cotton requirement).
Strategy regarding the use of sustainable cotton
Better Cottonās mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. See bettercotton.org for details.
In 2019-2020, Better Cotton licensed over 2.4 million farmers from 23 countries on five continents.
Better Cotton is sourced via a system of Mass Balance and is not physically traceable to end products. For further details about the sourcing system for Better Cotton see bettercotton.org/massbalance.
Benetton is committed to sourcing 100% of its cotton as āmore sustainable cottonā by 2025. āMore sustainable cottonā includes cotton from Better Cotton, organic cotton and recycled cotton. In 2022, sustainable cotton accounted for 56% of our total cotton volume.
Lastly, Benetton Group prohibits the use of cotton coming from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the region of Xinjiang, China, areas where penal or child labor have been reported.
Denim
Since 2012, Benetton Groupās collections have not carried denim items treated with sand-blasting. Moreover, we developed a laser-treated ādenim colourā for menās and womenās denim items.