Australian Cotton and myBMP Recognised in Landmark Supply Chain Report
December 17, 2015

The Australian cotton industry’s myBMP (Best Management Practices) program has been showcased in a report that maps human rights issues in supply chains. The report – Human rights in supply chains: Promoting positive practice – is a joint collaboration between the Australian Human Rights Commission, Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility and the United Nations (UN) Global Compact Network Australia.

myBMP Manager Rick Kowitz represented the Australian cotton industry and myBMP program at the launch of the report in Melbourne on December 3, 2015, and was interviewed earlier in the year as part of the research process. The report brings together insights from a three-stage research project that aims to understand the current state of practice in Australian businesses addressing human rights in their supply chains, and shed light on the challenges and potential solutions for improving practices where required.

Mr Kowitz says the research showcases the positive, pro-active steps taken by the industry to ensure human rights are respected in Australian cotton businesses and the demands from major international brands and retailers seeking responsibly produced and certified cotton.

“The launch event played host to a productive discussion about Australia’s myBMP program and its human resources (HR) and work health safety (WHS) module in the context of managing human rights in the farm level of the global cotton supply chain,” Mr Kowitz says.

“The myBMP module provides guidance to help growers in meeting legal obligations around employing staff, and secondly, to put in place procedures to help growers optimise employee productivity in a safe environment.”

“The Australian cotton industry is making sure that workers are treated fairly and their rights are considered. That’s the direction the cotton industry is heading, because it’s important to the sale of the product and market access.”

Mr Kowitz says that the myBMP standards are on top of Australia’s strict legal requirements to protect workers, and that these high standards are increasingly demanded by Australian and global players in the global textile and fabric supply chain.

“As businesses and consumers around the world continue to shift their demand towards responsible production and product provenance, the assurances provided by the myBMP program help to future-proof Australian cotton’s global market access,” Mr Kowitz says.