Improving Visibility in Cotton Supply Chains to Achieve Transparency

The Kappahl pilot project aimed to increase supply chain visibility for organic cotton baby apparel by mapping suppliers from farm to retail. Using the SupplyShift platform, the project successfully mapped three tiers down to spinners or ginners for four garment lines, enabling the collection of data on greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and wages. Key opportunities identified include the ability to identify climate-related supply risks and build trust with suppliers. However, the project faced challenges with data quality and low participation from middle-tier suppliers (Tiers 2 and 3) due to technical barriers and 'information request fatigue'. The study concludes that combining top-down and bottom-up mapping, leveraging Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSSs), and using flexible technology are essential for achieving end-to-end transparency.

• The pilot project successfully mapped the supply chains of four Newbie organic cotton baby apparel lines down to the third tier (spinners or ginners), allowing Kappahl to collect data on wages, water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and organic certification.
• Enhanced visibility allows the retailer to identify potential supply chain risks, specifically those related to pest infestations or extreme weather events caused by climate change, based on supplier locations.
• Significant obstacles were encountered when engaging middle-tier suppliers (Tiers 2 and 3), who struggled with the SupplyShift online platform due to a lack of technical experience and accessibility issues.
• The study identifies a risk of 'supplier information request fatigue' as more brands demand transparency, suggesting that the industry should standardize and coordinate information requests to maintain supplier engagement.
• To achieve full end-to-end visibility, the report recommends a dual approach combining top-down mapping (from retailer to farm) with bottom-up mapping (from farm to retailer), particularly by partnering with ginners and spinners who have direct relationships with smallholder farmers.
• Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSSs), such as Global Organic Textile Standard or Better Cotton, facilitate transparency by providing common indicators and requiring chain-of-custody documentation that eases the mapping process.

APA

Elder, S., Voora, V., & Courtemanche, P. (2023). Improving Visibility in Cotton Supply Chains to Achieve Transparency. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-02/cotton-supply-chain-kappahl-pilot-project.pdf

Chicago

Elder, Sara, Vivek Voora, and Pierre Courtemanche. Improving Visibility in Cotton Supply Chains to Achieve Transparency. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-02/cotton-supply-chain-kappahl-pilot-project.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elder |first1=Sara |last2=Voora |first2=Vivek |last3=Courtemanche |first3=Pierre |title=Improving Visibility in Cotton Supply Chains to Achieve Transparency |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-02/cotton-supply-chain-kappahl-pilot-project.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elder2023improving, author = {Elder, Sara and Voora, Vivek and Courtemanche, Pierre}, title = {{Improving Visibility in Cotton Supply Chains to Achieve Transparency}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-02/cotton-supply-chain-kappahl-pilot-project.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }