Cotton traceability and forced-labour due diligence for smallholder supply chains

Cotton buyers are asked to prove how cotton was grown and picked, not only where. Farmer1st is the first-mile infrastructure built around farmers: a farmer-controlled network where companies, governments and organisations collect, verify and share origin data, and build the services they need on top of it. For cotton, it records who grew the seed cotton, on which plot, with which inputs and under which conditions, before it reaches the gin.

Is cotton covered by the EUDR?

No. Cotton is not among the commodities covered by Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, whose full list of covered commodities is in our EUDR guide. Cotton faces other due diligence expectations, especially on forced labour. The CSDDD asks large companies to identify and address human rights impacts in their chains of activities, the EU and other markets have rules against products made with forced labour, and brands increasingly ask for origin evidence as a condition of purchase.

Why does cotton traceability break at the gin?

Smallholders sell seed cotton at collection points, and gins process it into bales that mix cotton from many producers. After ginning, the fibre passes through spinners, weavers and garment makers, often in several countries. If origin is not recorded before the gin, it is very hard to recover. First-mile traceability for cotton starts at the farm and at the first purchase.

How do you record cotton at the first mile?

Field agents register farmers and plots offline-first, with AI added to support them and the reviewers. Existing farmer lists from ginning companies or programmes are brought in through data integration. Each seed cotton purchase is recorded against a verified farmer, and the gin links bales to the list of contributing farmers. Traceability & certification keeps the chain of custody auditable. Field agent management organises the campaigns.

How do you manage input distribution and repayments?

Many cotton programmes supply seed and inputs on credit. Distribution and repayment are recorded against the same farmer record, so the programme knows who received what, and farmers can check their own account through the farmer app, with voice and local languages.

How do you gather evidence on labour conditions?

Forced-labour risk is assessed through the people involved. Human rights due diligence supports household surveys, grievance channels and remediation follow-up. Farmer surveys reach a targeted population of growers directly, with consented and verified answers, and farmers are fairly compensated for their contribution. The result is documented evidence of how risks were identified and addressed.

Can the same network support better practices?

Yes. Training & quizzes delivers good agricultural practices on input use, water and soil to the farmers who need them, and measures what was learned. Practice data is recorded per plot, so programmes can report on it.

What if our cotton programme needs something specific?

An input credit ledger, a gin-side reconciliation, a specific standard’s requirements: we assemble the existing modules and build the missing piece with you in the Nursery. You use it, we adjust, and it runs on the same network.