Artistic Milliners’ Cotton Projects Team Wins Ryan Young Climate+ Award 2022 in Climate Leader

Artistic Milliners’ Cotton Projects Team Wins Ryan Young Climate+ Award 2022 in Climate Leader

Artistic Milliners’ Cotton Projects team has been selected as a winner for Textile Exchange’s Ryan Young Climate+ Award 2022 in the Climate Leader Team category. The team’s collaborative, farm-centric and forward-thinking approach was highlighted as an example in the industry.

The late Ryan Young, (Textile Exchange COO from 2017-2020), is the inspiration behind Textile Exchange’s Climate+ Strategy, which is for the organization to serve as “a driving force for urgent climate action,” with a goal of 45% reduced CO2 emissions from textile fiber and material production by 2030. “Climate Leader” awards are dedicated to individuals, teams, or departments within an organization displaying an overall commitment to meeting the Climate+ strategy goals.

A statement from La Rhea Pepper, CEO, Textile Exchange read, ‘We would like to recognize the Artistic Milliners cotton team, made up of Mian Saqib Sohail, Akbar Ali and Anum Zahid for their work in building strong partnerships through the Milliner Cotton Initiative (MCI). The initiative includes partnering with WWF to create projects to improve soil health and promote better land management practices, as well as two mobile apps used by more than 500 farmers and 6 ginners which help them more easily collect transaction data between the parties involved, improving transparency and communication. They demonstrate progressive thinking ahead of their time – one comment we heard in the application process is that if someone is thinking about implementing something, Artistic Milliners is likely already doing it.’

Being planet-positive is a value that Artistic Milliners lives by and is intrinsic to all initiatives by our Cotton Projects team.’ says Mr. Omer Ahmed, CEO, Artistic Milliners. ‘We thank Textile Exchange for recognizing our efforts, as we continue to foster an inclusive ecosystem conducive to climate positive actions and social fairness.

Saqib Sohail, Lead Cotton Projects team adds, We would like to thank Textile Exchange for recognizing our efforts that align with late Ryan Young’s vision in industry transformation. Under the leadership of Mr. Omer Ahmed, our team will continue to play a meaningful role in tackling climate change, and forging better connections with communities.