Get Involved in the Better Cotton Initiative Programme

BCI Cotton Cotton is grown with the support of a whole range of partners across cotton-producing countries. Multi-stakeholder involvement is key to achieving the main objectives of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), as set our in our 2030 Strategy. That’s why we are constantly looking for new partners to implement and support the BCI Standard System.

Find out who can get involved in our field-level programme and how to contact us.

Producers

If you are a smallholder, medium or large farm producer in a country where BCI Cotton is grown, please contact our Programmes Team who will connect you with the relevant partners in your country. If you are based in the US, you can reach out directly to our US team instead.

Prospective Partners

If you are an Organisation (NGO, Corporate, Public) in a country where BCI Cotton is grown and you want to become a Programme Partner, please contact our team, who will discuss the process with you.

The endorsement process to become a Programme Partner will take a minimum of 12 weeks.

Learn more about our Programme Partners and find a list of all partners.

Benchmarked Standards

If you are a stakeholder in a country where you grow/support/purchase cotton with other standards than BCI Cotton, please contact our country team to discuss our benchmarking process. In countries where a credible standard system for cotton production already exists, BCI will prioritise benchmarking the existing standard system against the BCI Standard System. Benchmarking can be an effective way to deepen impact while mainstreaming sustainability in cotton production, by building on existing knowledge and activities through meaningful partnerships.

We currently have benchmarking agreements with the following partners and standards:
– Australia: Cotton Australia / My Best Management Practices (myBMP)
– Brazil: Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Algodão (ABRAPA) / The Responsible Brazilian Cotton Programme (ABR)
– Israel: Israel Cotton Production and Marketing Board (ICB) / Israel Cotton Production Standard System (ICPSS)
– Greece: Hellenic Agricultural Organization – Demeter, Inter-Branch Organization of Greek Cotton / Agro-2 Standard
– Spain: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Regional Government of Andalucía, Espalgodón / Sistema de Producción Integrada (SPI)

Learn more about the standards that are benchmarked with the BCI Standard System.

New Country Programme Start Up

If you are a cotton stakeholder in a country where BCI Cotton is not currently produced, please have a look at our New Country Programme Policy, which enumerates the criteria for establishing a new BCI programme.

The key requisites for starting a new programme are:

• Multi-stakeholder Approach: Strong multi-stakeholder participation that includes the range of actors that directly or indirectly contribute to farm-level outcomes is the foundation of BCI programmes and key to sustaining BCI’s mission.
• National Embedding: BCI’s long-term vision is that BCI Cotton production becomes embedded in national cotton governance structures.
• Programme Management and Resources: BCI prioritises strategic partnerships with organisations or entities which can take on significant oversight, management, and budget responsibilities.

Get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.