Premier Textiles joins the Better Cotton Platform as a supplier

Greater Manchester-based European importer of fabrics, yarns, and finished fabrics, Premier Textiles, has joined the Better Cotton Platform (BCP) as a supplier.

BCP is an online system that works alongside the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a global effort to make cotton production more sustainable by reducing environmental stress and improving the livelihoods of cotton farmers.

Over 13,000 ginners, traders, spinners, fabric mills, garment and end-product manufacturers, sourcing agents, and retailers utilise the BCP.

Non-profit organisation, BCI, trains cotton farmers worldwide on more sustainable farming practices. This includes efficient water use, care for natural habitats, reduced use of harmful chemicals, and respectful rights of workers.

Ashok Kallumpram, group managing director of Premier Textiles, says: “We work with mills that share our passion for sustainability and adhering to rigorous standards, including in chemical management, material sustainability, water and waste management, and renewable energy efficiency.

“We support the BCI and the move towards buying all BCI cotton. By joining the BCP, we can trade on the platform which further strengthens our firm commitment to sustainability.”

An independent family-owned group founded in 1981, Premier Textiles stocks over five million linear metres of fabric at any given time and its group of businesses include Premier Digital Textiles, Premex Solutions, and Bancroft Soft Furnishings.

According to Premier Textiles, cotton sourced from Better Cotton farms gets mixed with conventional cotton throughout production via a chain of custody system called mass balance. This means that products sourced via the system of mass balance may not contain Better Cotton.