In its efforts to cater to sharper supply chain visibility, nonprofit Better Cotton has come up with a revised version of the Better Cotton Chain of Custody Guidelines, renamed the Better Cotton Chain of Custody Standard.
- This new version will offer both mass balance and physical Chain of Custody (CoC) models to support the need for traceable Better Cotton while also continuing its work at the farm level.
- The Better Cotton CoC Standard incorporates four CoC model options: Mass Balance, Controlled Blending, Segregation (Multi-Country), and Segregation (Single Country).
What’s New: The new Standard introduces changes that are designed to make activities simpler and more consistent for supply chains. To make it easier for suppliers to adopt, Better Cotton has:
- Established consistent requirements for documentation, purchasing, material receipt and sales across all CoC models. This will allow the use of multiple CoC models (including Mass Balance) at the same site.
- Expanded management system requirements, to strengthen implementation of the Standard across the supply chain.
- Simplified the Standard to focus solely on CoC requirements. Separate documents will be developed on CoC implementation and monitoring, Retailer and Brand Member claims and Better Cotton Platform (BCP) user manuals.
Providing clarity: Version 1.0 of the CoC Standard enabled the tracing of physical Better Cotton to Country of Origin. The revised version not just updates and clarifies content, it also attempts to provide clarity and completeness of CoC requirements. The renamed and restructured document includes the following changes:
- Introduction of 3 new physical CoC models;
- Harmonised and expanded management system requirements;
- Consistent requirements relating to documentation, purchasing, material receipt and sales;
- Focus on normative requirements for suppliers in the CoC Standard.
Other Details: The Better Cotton CoC Standard requirements are applicable globally for all supply chain organisations that are buying or selling physical Better Cotton or fulfilling Better Cotton Mass Balance orders.
- These include (but are not limited to) middlemen and markets for raw seed cotton, ginners, merchants, lint traders, mills with spinning capabilities, mills or suppliers without spinning capabilities (including fabric mills, dying mills, yarn and/or fabric traders, vertical mills), end-product manufacturers, sourcing agents, and retailers and brands with their own manufacturing capabilities.
- Organisations shall include sub-contracted (outsourced) activities within their verification scope where applicable.
- The Standard effective date was approved by the Better Cotton Council on 7 February 2023, effective as of 1 October 2023 (with a transition period until end of May 2025). The Better Cotton Chain of Custody is reviewed at least every five years. The next review is expected in 2028.
The System: The Better Cotton Standard System is a holistic approach to sustainable cotton production and raw material sourcing which covers the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic. Each element of the system, from the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria (P&Cs) to the monitoring mechanisms which show results and impact, work together to drive the adoption of sustainable practices.
- The Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard is the key framework that connects Better Cotton supply (which is produced in accordance with the Better Cotton P&Cs) with demand.
- The CoC Standard sets out auditable requirements for organisations in the supply chain that are buying or selling physical Better Cotton, or cotton-containing products as Better Cotton Mass Balance orders.
- Manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and brands can claim the use of physical Better Cotton in their products, or support of its field-level programmes through the sourcing of Mass Balance orders, when they adhere to the requirements of the Better Cotton CoC Standard and the Better Cotton Claims Framework.
