BCI / Better Cotton · Sustainable cotton
Better Cotton (BCI) Chain of Custody certification for cotton claims your customers can trust.
Brands that source Better Cotton need every spinner, mill, garment maker and trader in the chain to handle it under Better Cotton's Chain of Custody rules. Sterling's expert and experienced consultants set up the controls and records with your team and prepare you for the certification body. We ensure successful certification for our clients.
- Fixed scope, one proposal: consulting, Effivity software, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, in one proposal
- A team of expert and experienced consultants supporting textile and apparel supply chains with management systems since 2003
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. Sterling does not certify; certification bodies working within Better Cotton's programme audit and decide
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.
Why textile suppliers choose Sterling
What it is
What is Better Cotton and what is it used for?
Better Cotton, run by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), is a programme for more sustainable cotton production. Its Better Cotton Standard System defines what "better" means at farm level through the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria, and sets out how Better Cotton is traced through the supply chain under its Chain of Custody. Retailer and brand members use it to source cotton and to make claims about it.
For a supplier the question is simpler: can you show exactly how much Better Cotton came in, what happened to it, and what went out under the name? That is what the Chain of Custody tests.
Current version. Version 3.0 of the Principles and Criteria was issued in March 2023, following the 2018 versions 2.0 and 2.1, and Better Cotton has published later updates since. The Chain of Custody version that applies to your organisation is confirmed with the certification body.
Who it is for
Who needs Better Cotton Chain of Custody certification?
Suppliers come to Sterling for Better Cotton from three starting points:
- A brand customer asks you to supply Better Cotton. Your orders depend on proving the cotton you ship is counted correctly.
- You trade or process cotton for several brands. Each expects the same Chain of Custody discipline, and one system serves them all.
- Your records do not reconcile. Purchases, stock and sales of Better Cotton are tracked in separate spreadsheets that nobody can defend at an audit.
The certificate is only as good as the reconciliation behind it. It holds when purchasing, stores, production and sales all record Better Cotton the same way.
Requirements
What does Better Cotton Chain of Custody involve?
Better Cotton's Chain of Custody requirements vary by role and are confirmed against the current version with the certification body; the requirement structure is not summarised here, so the list shows what Sterling's work covers.
- Role and scope: your position in the chain, the sites in scope and the Chain of Custody requirements that apply to them.
- Volume control: purchase, stock and sales records that reconcile Better Cotton in and out.
- Production control: how Better Cotton inputs are recorded, stored and carried through processing.
- Transactions and claims: supplier documents, transaction records and what you may say about Better Cotton, checked against the rules.
- People and review: training for the people who handle orders, stock and claims, and internal audit before the certification body arrives.
What does useful Chain of Custody evidence look like?
Supplier invoices and transaction records matched to goods received, stock ledgers by lot, production records that show inputs and outputs, sales documents that carry the right claim, and a periodic reconciliation somebody has signed. These records sit in Effivity from the first workshop.
Your engagement
What your Better Cotton engagement includes
One team takes you from the first gap analysis to the certificate, under one all-inclusive proposal.
Scope, gap analysis and plan
Role, sites and customer requirements in scope, with owners and dates agreed before work starts.
Chain of Custody procedures
Receiving, stock, production, sales and claims controls, built with the people who run them.
Effivity ISO & GRC software
Your records and reconciliations run in Effivity from day one, included with the engagement at no additional cost.
Training for everyone
Internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.
Internal audit and management review
Conducted or facilitated as agreed, with findings closed before the certification body arrives.
Certification readiness and support
Preparation for the Chain of Custody audit and support until the certificate is issued.
Certification decisions remain with the certification body working within Better Cotton's programme.
Often combined with
Standards organisations pair with Better Cotton (BCI)
- amfori BSCIamfori BSCI audit preparation for producers: gap assessment across the 13 performance areas, remediation, worker-facing evidence and support from Sterling.
- BRCGS Packaging MaterialsBRCGS Packaging Materials certification explained: Issue 7, GFSI recognition, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares packaging sites for the audit.
- EN 71 / ASTM F963EN 71 and ASTM F963 toy safety compliance for manufacturers: product and market mapping, material control, test planning and records that keep lots conforming.
- GOTSGOTS certification for organic textiles: what the Global Organic Textile Standard covers, who asks for it and how Sterling prepares your site for audit.
- Higg IndexHigg Index verification support for facilities: Higg FEM data and records, environmental controls, a review before posting and readiness for the verifier.
- IECQ QC 080000IECQ QC 080000 certification for electronics suppliers: identify, control, quantify and report hazardous substances, with gap analysis and audit readiness.
Effivity · ISO and GRC software, included in every engagement
How Effivity helps you keep Better Cotton volumes reconciled.
Every Sterling Better Cotton engagement includes Effivity, the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant sets up the workspace within the agreed scope, so supplier documents, stock records, reconciliations, training and audits sit together and a customer's question is answered from one screen. Sterling consulting clients get their Effivity subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
Scope and requirements
Sites, roles and customer sourcing requirements held in one register.
Supplier documents
Supplier and transaction records stored against each delivery.
Receiving and stock
Goods received and stock by lot recorded as the work is done.
Production records
Inputs and outputs by batch, ready for the reconciliation.
Sales and claims
Outgoing documents checked for the correct claim before they leave.
Documents and training
Controlled procedures and training records for the people who handle Better Cotton.
Internal audit and review
Audit programmes, findings and management review decisions with owners and dates.
Nonconformity and corrective action
Reconciliation gaps investigated and closed with evidence.
What this means at the audit
The auditor picks a sales invoice and traces it back to the cotton that came in. In Effivity that trail is a set of linked records with dates and owners. After certification, Sustain™ keeps the records current in the same workspace.
In your engagement
- Subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost
- Configured by your Sterling consultant within the agreed scope
- Existing records and registers migrated, not retyped
- Admin and user training for your team
- Modules for QMS, EMS, OHSMS and more when you add other standards
Sterling Academy · e-learning
Build Chain of Custody awareness in stores, production and sales.
The people who receive, move and sell cotton decide whether the numbers reconcile. Sterling Academy provides e-learning with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner. Sterling consulting clients benefit from preferential Sterling Academy course access and special pricing through their Sterling consultant, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
- Awareness for the people who handle orders, stock and claims
- Internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, as part of the engagement
- Progress reports by department
- New starters trained as they join
Keep exploring
Explore more about Better Cotton (BCI)
Better Cotton (BCI) resources
Services for Better Cotton (BCI)
Why Sterling
Why work with Sterling on Better Cotton?
Chain of Custody fails at handovers between purchasing, stores, production and sales. Sterling builds the controls across those handovers so the reconciliation holds every month, not only at the audit.
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries
Programmes delivered since 2003, with offices in 21 countries and one engagement team accountable across your sites.
All-inclusive proposal
Consulting, Effivity, training and Academy access in one proposal, with third-party fees identified separately. No surprises, ever.
Records your team can keep
Controls sized to your volumes and systems, so the reconciliation is routine rather than a scramble.
Expert and experienced consultants
Consultants who understand textile supply chains, stock control and certification audits, and who set up your system properly the first time.
The Sterling Promise
What our Better Cotton certification success guarantee means
We stay with you until your agreed Better Cotton certification outcome is achieved, supporting implementation, preparation and the resolution of audit findings. Practical delivery, included software and employee learning turn the investment into lasting capability.
The engagement identifies the programme, scope, outcome and responsibilities. Your organisation supplies accurate information and puts the agreed controls into use. The certification body assesses conformity and retains its certification decision. Our commitment concerns the agreed certification support, not a promise of every future brand order.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about Better Cotton (BCI)
Is Better Cotton the same as organic cotton?
No. Better Cotton is defined by its own Principles and Criteria and Chain of Custody, while organic cotton is covered by separate organic standards. A brand may source both, and a supplier may need to meet both sets of rules.
Do all suppliers in the chain need Better Cotton certification?
It depends on your role and the current Chain of Custody rules, which we confirm with the certification body. What every supplier handling Better Cotton needs is records that show the volumes in, through and out.
Does Sterling certify Better Cotton?
No. Sterling provides consulting and hands-on support. A certification body working within Better Cotton's programme audits your organisation and makes the certification decision.
Keep exploring
More on Better Cotton (BCI) and related standards
More in Consumer goods, textiles & packaging
Talk to a consultant
Plan your Better Cotton Chain of Custody certification with confidence.
Tell us your role in the chain, your sites and your customer deadline. We’ll help you define the scope, timeline and next steps.
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