Better Cotton Initiative

During Q3 2018, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) welcomed Action Service & Distributie B.V. (the Netherlands), Deckers Outdoor Corporation (United States), El Corte Inglés (Spain), J P Boden Ltd. (United Kingdom), and Nederlandse dassenfabriek Micro Verkoop B.V. (the Netherlands) asthe newest Retailer and Brand Members to join BCI.

BCI also welcomed Gram Unnati Foundation (India) as the newest BCI Civil Society Member.

At the end of Q3 2018, more than 190 new organisations (across all BCI membership categories) had joined BCI, taking total membership to more than 1,390 members. You can find all BCI Members here.

What it means to be a BCI Retailer and Brand Member

BCI Retailer and Brand Members are committed to supporting a more sustainable future for cotton production. They pay a fee to BCI based on the amount of cotton they source as Better Cotton*. This fee is invested into training 1.6 million BCI Farmers on more sustainable agricultural practices like reducing inputs (water, pesticides) and addressing gender inequality and child labour issues.

What it means to be a BCI Civil Society Member
Civil Society Members are progressive not-for-profit organisations who are taking decisive steps towards securing a more sustainable future for cotton production by partnering with the Better Cotton Initiative.

*BCI uses a supply chain model called Mass Balance. As cotton moves through the supply chain and is converted into different products (for example, yarn, fabric and garments), credits are also passed along the supply chain. These credits represent volumes of Better Cotton a BCI Retailer or Brand Member has ordered. We define this as ‘sourcing’ Better Cotton. Sourcing volumes are tracked by BCI’s online sourcing platform. Physically traceable Better Cotton does not end up in the hands of the retailer that placed the order; however, the farmer benefits from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to that ‘sourced’. Remember, knowing where the Better Cotton ends up does not benefit BCI Farmers. A brand cannot claim that a product they sell physically contains Better Cotton.