O'Neill Surf CSR
Part 5
Governance
05
Governance Groups
Although O'Neill does not work directly with the governance groups listed in chapter 5 such as the United Nations Global Compact, they do participate in outside measures for their CSR activities. For example, they are a member of the Better Cotton Initiative Stewardship Council.
BCI's
Mission
The Better Cotton Initiative works to embed sustainable farming practices, enhance well-being and economic development, and drive global demand for sustainable cotton. They work diligently to help cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment. They partner with brands/retailers, civil societies, producer organizations, suppliers/manufacturers, and independent members to understand and apply the importance of sustainable cotton farming.
What it means to have Brand Membership
Demand
Brand members direct contact with consumers creates more demand for sustainable cotton.
Globality
The 27 countries involved are contributing to a global movement of change in the way cotton is produced.
Sustainability
Membership allows brands to make strides on reaching sustainable goals.
Influence
Members can run for the BCI Council to further raise awareness of the benefits of BCI'S work.
O'Neill's Involvement
O'Neill has pledged to sourcing 100% of their cotton as "more sustainable cotton" by 2022. This means that all cotton sourced by them would be through the Better Cotton Initiative or considered organic and/or recycled. As of now, Better Cotton is not traceable. This means that is is not possible to know how much Better Cotton a garment contains because the system allows Better Cotton to be mixed with conventionally grown cotton. In O'Neill's CSR Report, they went into detail about the ways they have incorporated the BCI's ideals in their actions. In order to report their progress, they provided tables to show the improvements that they have made in the past few years. As seen below, they have significantly reduced the amount of conventional cotton used in their products. This helps consumers be hopeful that they can reduce their use of conventional cotton to a net 0 by 2022.
