The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future. BCI aims to transform cotton production worldwide by developing Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity. BCI works across the cotton supply chain to promote measurable and continuing improvements.
Find out more about BCI at - https://bettercotton.org/
ISEAL Code Compliant organisations have successfully adhered to our previous Codes of Good Practice (Standard-Setting, Impacts and Assurance) and have committed to aligning their systems to the ISEAL Code. Independent evaluations against the ISEAL Code commenced in October 2025, and organisations must demonstrate full adherence to the ISEAL Code by October 2029 to maintain their ISEAL Code Compliant status.
Please note, all ISEAL Code Compliant members are also ISEAL Community Members.
The ISEAL Code came into effect on 1 March 2024. Organisations that had adhered to the previous Codes of Good Practice were granted an 18-month transition period to align their system(s) with the ISEAL Code. For further information, visit: What is ISEAL Code Compliant.
From October 2025, independent evaluations against the ISEAL Code will commence in accordance with the Independent Evaluation Procedure. ISEAL Code Compliant organisations are required to successfully close an evaluation across the full scope of the ISEAL Code. This can be done through a single, full-scope evaluation or through phased specific-scope evaluations. Evaluations must be completed within four years of the end of the transition period, no later than October 2029, to maintain ISEAL Code Compliant status.
Details on the evaluation schedule will be made publicly available.
No areas for improvement were identified during this evaluation.
As a result of this independent evaluation, BCI have made the following improvements to their assurance system:
- Updated the Better Cotton Assurance Manual to clarify the independence of the external oversight body.
- Updated the Conflict of Interest Policy to better define management practices to respond to risks to impartiality deriving from a potential conflict of interest of auditors.
- Updated information in relation to their assurance scheme, e.g. description of how stakeholders can provide input to the assurance process and benchmarking information.
As a result of this independent evaluation, BCI made the following improvements to their M&E system:
- Updated and finalised their MEL Evidence Framework and their Theory of Change narrative.
- Created an Evidence Synthesis framework that highlights the study results per impact area prioritised by Better Cotton, to assess the quality of the evidence and to flag other relevant findings from the research including unintended effects.
- Made significant improvements to the MEL page on the Better Cotton website.
ISEAL Code Compliant members provide publicly available reports that give a comprehensive and accessible overview of a member's system.
ISEAL System Overview Better Cotton Initiative 2022