Civil Society Membership

Civil Society members are not-for-profit organisations which serve the public interest and common good related to the cotton supply chain.

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Membership benefits

Joining BCI offers a way for progressive civil society organisations to take decisive steps towards securing a more sustainable future for mainstream global cotton production. Membership provides the opportunity to meet, collaborate and influence other categories of stakeholders on the same journey. Your organisation is joining a results-driven initiative with a quick return on your investment of fees and efforts.

What it means to be a Member

BCI Civil Society members participate in BCI’s General Assembly and Council and have the opportunity to influence processes and discussions at BCI. BCI Council positions are open to all members (except for Associate Members), and Civil Society members hold three seats in the BCI Council.

Members are also required to comply with:

BCI Code of Practice (for non-commercial members).
BCI Terms of Membership.

Membership Fees

Membership fees are differentiated in relation to the size of the organisation. Click here to download the BCI 2017 Fee structure for Producer Organisations.

How to Join

To apply for BCI membership, simply complete an application form for your category. Click here to download, or email your request to: membership@bettercotton.org.

Application process:

1. Send us your application form with the requested supporting information.

2. We receive and acknowledge receipt of your application form and check that it is complete.

3. We carry out due diligence research, to ensure there are no outstanding issues that can create reputational risk for BCI.

4. We collate and analyse the results, and provide the BCI Leadership Team with a recommendation for approval.

5. The BCI Leadership Team reviews the application and provides a final approval decision.

6. We send you an invoice for fees, and you are listed on the Member Only section of our website for BCI Members, under New Members’ Consultation.

7. On payment of your membership invoice you become a member-in-consultation for 12 weeks during which time you have full access to all membership benefits.

8. If no issues arise during member consultation, you are a member of BCI; we will communicate with you in case any issues are raised during consultation.

9. If your membership consultation results in membership being revoked, all fees paid to the BCI will be refunded.

Please note that the entire process can takes up to 13 weeks from receipt of a completed application form.