Cotton is a key non-food risk in our trade supply chain and we remain vigilant in monitoring global cotton-growing regions that are the subject of allegations or known cases of child or forced labour. Cotton is used across the Group, particularly in BIG W clothing and home products, and we are actively working to address risk through a focus on cotton traceability and the identification of labour abuses in the cotton supply chain.
Our approach to addressing risk in the cotton supply chain is supported by the Group Sustainable Cotton Policy. BIG W utilises the vast majority of the Group’s cotton consumption, and accordingly leads the development and implementation of our tools to mitigate this risk.
In order to validate the source of cotton in our supply chain, BIG W is strategically focused on organic, recycled and Australian cotton, and has established procedures for verifying the origin of raw materials. This includes a desktop traceability system supported by Cotton Australia, and a fibre testing program delivered in partnership with Oritain, a global leader in applying forensic and data science to verify the origin of products. In F25, products that did not meet the verification standard were not labelled as Australian cotton.
