Proudly Pesticide-Free: Part 1

2024-03-05T14:33:50+00:00March 12th, 2024|

This year we are celebrating 10 years since the start of farmer training in our joint project with PAN Ethiopia to get rid of Highly Hazardous Pesticides on cotton farms in Ethiopia’s Southern Rift Valley. We’re kicking off with a video from PAN Ethiopia’s Director, Dr Tadesse Amera, praising the [...]

Stories from the Ground

2024-03-05T09:08:05+00:00March 7th, 2024|

Cotton is the world’s most popular natural fibre, produced by over 24 million cotton growers in 75 countries. Whilst cotton farmers and workers are indispensable to the global fashion industry, they are largely excluded from conversations and stories around sustainability. To understand and transform the fashion and textile industry, we [...]

Are fashion retailers and brands supporting the sustainable cotton sector?

2023-06-13T08:33:42+01:00June 13th, 2023|

The 2023 Cotton Ranking of retailers and brands reveals that just nine of the major fashion companies are doing the bare minimum to improve sustainability in the cotton sector. Much of the cotton purchased by major companies does not even meet basic certification requirements. Of the 82 largest cotton-sourcing companies [...]

The climate emergency is devastating Ethiopian farmers

2023-05-24T10:19:08+01:00May 15th, 2023|

by Dr Stephanie Williamson, PAN UK Staff Scientist PAN Ethiopia teams meet up for week of training in Arba Minch. Credit PAN UK I recently had the privilege of visiting my hard-working, dedicated colleagues in Ethiopia to find out how our joint projects on growing cotton organically and [...]

Unprecedented support for the UK to drastically reduce pesticide use

2021-03-19T12:01:32+00:00March 5th, 2021|

by Sarah Haynes, Collaboration Coordinator, hosted by PAN UK Over the last few months, PAN UK and RSPB have mobilised 45 organisations and individual farmers and academics to respond collectively to the UK Government’s public consultation on the revised UK National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides [...]

Pandemic impacts on cotton farmers in Ethiopia

2021-03-19T12:07:12+00:00August 4th, 2020|

by Sheila Willis, Head of International Programmes, PAN UK According to an April 2020 forecast by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), ‘global trade volumes are expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts normal economic activity and life around the world.’ The [...]

Are big brands doing enough to support sustainable cotton farmers?

2020-02-13T07:43:26+00:00February 13th, 2020|

Sustainable Cotton Ranking 2020 Published by PAN UK, Solidaridad and WWF, the Sustainable Cotton Ranking 2020 reveals significant progress by big brands toward more sustainable cotton. But also that the divide is growing between companies that take their responsibilities seriously and the many companies that do not. Adidas has surged ahead, [...]

The rise of organic agriculture in Ethiopia

2018-09-24T10:14:27+01:00September 19th, 2018|Tags: , , |

by Selam Yilma, Communications Officer, PAN Ethiopia (19th September 2018) Pesticide Action Nexus Ethiopia (PAN Ethiopia) has taken on the role of implementing the 'information and communication pillar' of the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) initiative in Ethiopia. This pillar works to complement the work of other EOA partners through creating increased awareness and knowledge [...]

Working to reduce global suicide by pesticide ingestion

2018-07-11T12:13:01+01:00July 11th, 2018|

by Prof Michael Eddleston and Dr Leah Utyasheva Highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) not only harm our health and environment and pollute our food and water.1 They also cause over 150,000 suicide deaths globally each year. Out of the 800 000 individuals who die from suicide worldwide each year - one death every [...]

A review of pesticide use in global cotton production – New edition 26th June 2018

2018-06-26T11:22:59+01:00June 26th, 2018|

As the Better Cotton Initiative General Assembly opens, PAN UK publishes a revised version of its report on global pesticide use in cotton. The revised report includes new data on the United States Cotton sector’s pesticide use provided by Cotton Incorporated, and includes a reanalysis of official US government data. [...]

First certified organic cotton farmers in Ethiopia

2018-05-02T16:52:21+01:00January 9th, 2018|

Project success as 200 Ethiopian farmers become the first to produce certified organic cotton in the country Since 2013, with financial support from TRAID and in collaboration with PAN-Ethiopia, our project in southern Ethiopia has provided training for over 2000 smallholder cotton farmers. Training in our Farmer Field Schools demonstrates [...]

Is cotton conquering its chemical addiction?

2018-06-26T11:38:39+01:00October 10th, 2017|

A review of pesticide use in global cotton production - 10th October 2017 (PLEASE FIND OUR REVISED ISSUE FOR JUNE 2018 HERE) A new report published today by PAN UK, with support from the C&A Foundation, investigates the current rate of pesticide use in cotton, and examines its trends [...]

Cotton Ranking Report 2017

2018-05-02T17:00:18+01:00October 2nd, 2017|

A report by PAN UK, Solidaridad and WWF Leading brands improve performance on sustainable cotton but many still fall short Used in hundreds of everyday items, cotton is a vital cash crop for around 100 million households in 80 countries. However, conventional production of cotton is characterised by environmental, [...]

Life-changing training in Ethiopia

2018-05-03T09:19:24+01:00September 19th, 2017|

by Sam Claydon, Communications Officer, PAN UK (19th September 2017) PAN UK is working with partners and colleagues in Ethiopia to teach smallholder cotton farmers how to manage their fields using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods in order to move away from an over-reliance on pesticides. In a lucky turn [...]

Pesticide-Free Cotton in Ethiopia

2018-05-03T09:27:13+01:00May 31st, 2017|

Since 2013 we have been working to support cotton farmers in Southern Ethiopia to adopt safer and more sustainable methods of growing pesticide-free cotton. We now have 2000 smallholder farmers achieving average yields over 100% higher than before. An organic cotton producers’ cooperative is selling Grade A organic cotton [...]

New Milling Equipment for Organic Cotton Farmers in Benin

2018-05-03T09:30:26+01:00April 25th, 2017|

On Tuesday 28th March 2017, Sheila Willis, PAN UK's Head of International Programmes, travelled with a group from Obepab to the small village of Aliwou in central Benin. The temperature was around 40 C and it had not rained for weeks. Villagers gathered to meet them and although they were already [...]

More Companies to be Assessed in Second Sustainable Cotton Ranking

2018-05-03T09:48:23+01:00January 30th, 2017|

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK, Solidaridad and WWF have released the list of companies that will be assessed in the new round of their Sustainable Cotton Ranking to be published in October 2017. The second edition of the ranking will include major companies from all continents, including from countries such [...]

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