Connecting Supply & Demand: Chain of Custody

By sourcing Better Cotton and cotton-containing products as Better Cotton, organisations create the demand for more sustainably grown cotton, creating further incentives for cotton farmers to adopt more sustainable farming practices and secure a better future for cotton.

What is Better Cotton’s Chain of Custody?

In its Chain of Custody Models and Definitions guide, ISEAL defines a chain of custody as: The custodial sequence that occurs as ownership or control of the material supply is transferred from one custodian to another in the supply chain.

From the farmers who grow Better Cotton to the companies that source it, the Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) is the documentation and evidence of Better Cotton as it moves through the supply chain, connecting Better Cotton supply with demand.  

The auditable CoC requirements for organisations buying and selling Better Cotton within the supply chain are set in the Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard v1.0. The CoC Standard is a revised version of the Better Cotton CoC Guidelines v1.4. Introduced in May 2023, it initiated a transition period for our supply chains to adhere to the new CoC Standard by May 2025. 

The CoC Standard allows organisations to implement one or a combination of four different CoC Models, enabling the sourcing of two types of Better Cotton – Mass Balance and Physical (also known as Traceable) Better Cotton. 

What is the difference between Mass Balance and Physical CoC Models?

From October 2023, Better Cotton supply chains can implement either Mass Balance or Physical CoC Models: Segregation (single country), Segregation (multi-country) or Controlled Blending.

Mass Balance and Physical CoC Models have different requirements for how Better Cotton or products containing Better Cotton are stored, transported, and processed within the supply chain. The chosen Chain of Custody Model will also determine whether the end products are traceable to their country of origin or not. To find out more, select:

The Better Cotton Platform

The Better Cotton Platform (BCP) is an online system used only by Better Cotton and registered supply chain organisations that buy, sell or source Better Cotton or cotton-containing products as Better Cotton. The aim of the platform is to act as an online database where supply chain actors can enter and monitor transactions for Mass Balance and/or Physical Better Cotton, and Better Cotton can verify the volumes of Better Cotton sourced in the supply chain. 

The BCP enables suppliers and manufacturers to show customers how much Better Cotton lint was sourced through the sale of a product, and in the case of Physical Better Cotton, retailers and brands can trace their products back to the country of origin of the raw material.  

Learn more about the Better Cotton Platform. 

Traceability

There is a growing demand for making Better Cotton traceable, as stakeholders worldwide seek more clarity over the social and environmental challenges associated with the cotton supply chain, and policymakers require businesses to demonstrate greater transparency. This is why Better Cotton introduced a traceability solution at the end of 2023.

The foundation of the traceability solution is set by the new CoC Standard which introduced physical CoC Models alongside Mass Balance. The physical models make it possible to trace Physical Better Cotton back to its country of origin and capture route-to-market data using the Better Cotton Platform.

Read more about Better Cotton’s traceability solution here.