Better Cotton CoC v1.0 Monitoring and Assessment, Achieve More Sustainable Cotton Production

From farmers who grow better cotton to companies that purchase good cotton, a Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) is the document and evidence of the flow of better cotton in the supply chain, linking the supply and demand of better cotton. The Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) standard v1.0 was launched in May 2023, initiating a transition period for the cotton supply chain, and all organizations are required to comply with this new standard by May 2025 at the latest.

Application process

About the Better Cotton Platform

The Better Cotton Platform (BCP) is an online system designed solely for the use of better cotton and registered supply chain organizations that purchase, sell, or purchase better cotton or cotton containing products as better cotton. The purpose of this platform is to serve as an online database where supply chain participants can input and monitor quality balance and/or physical transactions of better cotton, and better cotton can verify the quantity of better cotton purchased in the supply chain.

BCP enables suppliers and manufacturers to demonstrate to customers how much better cotton has been obtained through product sales. For physical better cotton, retailers and brands can trace their products back to the country of origin of the raw materials.

Category Introduction

Category A

Organizations should register on the BCP platform and complete relevant online BCI training modules. This type of organization will be included in a typical BCI monitoring and supervision plan and will need to undergo assessment within 3 years of joining the plan.

Category B

Organizations should register on BCP and complete relevant online training modules. Within 12 months of registration on BCP, the organization should contact an accredited third-party inspector to arrange an assessment against BCI CoC v1.0. The approved list of Third-Party Verifier can be found on the BCI website. If the organization encounters difficulties in contacting accredited Third-Party Verifier and/or arranging assessment dates, it should contact the BCI team to assist in arranging the assessment.

Once the assessment date is agreed upon, the Third-Party Verifier should notify BCI of the scheduled date. If there are any changes, the Third-Party Verifier should notify BCI within 3 working days after the change.

If the organization fails to complete the assessment within 12 months after registration, its eligibility will be suspended until it successfully completes the assessment.

Category C

Organizations should contact recognized Third-Party Verifier and arrange for assessment based on BCI CoC v1.0. The approved list of Third-Party Verifier can be found on the BCI website. If the organization encounters difficulties in contacting accredited Third-Party Verifier and/or arranging assessment dates, it should contact the BCI team to assist in arranging the assessment.

Once the assessment date is agreed upon, the Third-Party Verifier should notify BCI of the scheduled date. If there are any changes, the Third-Party Verifier should notify BCI within 3 working days after the change.

Organizations can only be allowed to enter BCP's physical traceability system and purchase and sell products after successfully completing the assessment. If the organization fails to conduct an assessment within 90 days of its category confirmation or fails to eliminate non conformities, it must reapply and submit a new registration form. After successfully completing the assessment, the organization should register with BCP and complete the relevant online BCP training modules.

Assessment cycles

Assessment results