By Katharine Beacham, Head of Materials and Sustainability

Cotton is one of the world’s most important natural fibres and is the material we use most across our clothing and home products. Behind it are millions of farmers and farming communities whose knowledge and livelihoods help shape and sustain its future. We have been a pioneer member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) since 2009. In 2019 we achieved 100% sustainably sourced cotton in our clothing products.

At the start of 2026 we launched a pilot project  - the Affordable Clean Environment (ACE) Cotton Programme in partnership with Pilio. The programme helps cotton-growing communities across India access clean energy, supports farming practices that help protect and restore nature, and creates new livelihood opportunities, putting our Plan A commitments into action.  

In Maharashtra, India, the programme has mapped communities connected to the M&S cotton supply chain and identified opportunities across 25 villages. Its first phase is exploring demand for solar energy for irrigation and homes, while mapping local biodiversity and surveying species to help shape future activity.

This work comes at an important time. Cotton farmers increasingly face unpredictable weather, rising costs, pressure on natural resources and declining biodiversity. These issues are closely connected, so addressing them requires practical solutions shaped around the needs of each community. 

Through our investment, Pilio is working with farmers, communities and local and specialist partners to make clean energy more accessible, reduce emissions and support biodiversity. The programme also aims to help households develop additional sources of income by supporting local businesses and markets.

This year’s World Cotton Day theme, “Cotton for Good: Building Prosperity through Trade, Transformation, and Partnership”, reflects the importance of working together to create lasting change. For M&S, that means investing in the people and communities behind the cotton we source, while helping to build a more resilient future for this important natural fibre.

As the ACE Cotton Programme moves into implementation in Maharashtra, learning from these first communities will help shape its expansion to more cotton-growing communities from 2027.

 

Image credit: @Pilio2026