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 CoC Standard v1.0.

The auditable requirements for Retailer and Brands Members are set in the Better Cotton CoC Standard v1.1, effective now. This version introduces requirements for Retailer and Brand Members for the first time, offering them the opportunity to become certified in order to use the Better Cotton Label on eligible products.

Supply chain organisations (not including Retailer and Brand Members) will be audited against v1.1 from January 2026.

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 Better Cotton.

Useful Resources