Primark, a retailer in the U.K. that markets readymade apparel, home goods and beauty products, has extended a sustainable cotton initiative in India to 10,000 women farmers. The initiative involves a partnership between Primark, CottonConnect and the Self Employed Women’s Association.
Under the Primark Sustainable Cotton Program, women in Gujarat, are trained to improve cotton yields, increase their incomes, and introduce sustainable farming methods, reports cips.org.
A pilot, launched three years ago, saw 1,251 women smallholders increase their average profits by 211% and yields by 12.6%. There was also a 5% cut in input costs, a 12.9% reduction in water use and fertilizer and pesticide use fell.
Paul Lister, responsible for Primark’s ethical trading team said, “Primark has been working hard for the last decade to ensure that the rights of workers within our global supply chain are respected, and the lives of people working within the garment industry in emerging markets change as industrialization brings new jobs and opportunities.”
Alison Ward, CottonConnect’s CEO stated, “We find that women do not attend mixed training sessions, so the knowledge that this program has brought them will go a long way to building a better life for them and their families in the future. It’s also great to see how proud their husbands are of their work.”
Reema Nanavaty, leader of Self Employed Women’s Association remarked that giving women access to full employment was one of the best ways to drive societal and economic change.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
