042. Manufactured x Transformers Foundation: Cannon Michael on Cotton Traceability

This is part two of our conversation with Cannon Michael, President and CEO of Bowles Farming Company. He’s also a founder and board member of Transformers Foundation. We were pretty excited to talk to Cannon – it’s the first time we’ve had the chance to have a cotton farmer on the show!

In this episode we take a deep dive intro traceability. Cannon shares why he thinks existing cotton accreditation options fall short, how traceability could and should be done when it comes to cotton, the role of technology versus supply chain relationships in terms of making meaningful traceability a reality, why he sees traceability as the key to being able to tell his own story, and why he hopes that more control over his story will lead to a fairer distribution of wealth across fashion supply chains.

Want to dig deeper ?

Transformers Foundation is the unified voice representing the denim industry and its ideas for positive change. It was founded to provide a thus-far missing platform to the jeans and denim supply chain, and a central point of contact for consumers, brands, NGOs, and media who want to learn more about ethics and sustainable innovation in the industry.

For more on Transformers Foundation’s work visit the website and follow along on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Find out more about FiberTrace.

To learn more about accreditation standards, check out http://cottonupguide.org/

For more on traceability, we suggest checking out Simon Ferrigno’s piece for EcoTextile News.