The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has achieved a major industry milestone, announcing that more than 50% of BCI Cotton entering global textile and fashion supply chains is now fully traceable. The achievement comes just two years after the organisation launched its traceability solution in November 2023.
The traceable volumes—officially known as Physical BCI Cotton—currently come from 15 countries, reflecting rapid global adoption. Since the launch, more than 60 retailer and brand members have committed to sourcing traceable cotton through BCI’s system, with 17 companies already receiving products containing Physical BCI Cotton.
Jacky Broomhead, Director of Traceability at BCI, said the industry’s shift proves that transparency is no longer optional.
“The complexity of textile supply chains, combined with increased legislation, makes traceability non-negotiable,” she noted. “To continue supporting cotton farmers and ensure BCI farmers can access key markets, we needed to make BCI Cotton traceable.”
Rapid Growth and Global Rollout
In just two years, BCI has traced more than 23,000 metric tonnes of Physical BCI Cotton from gins to retailer and brand members—a dramatic increase from just 90 MT recorded in November 2024. This is equivalent to producing over 127 million 100% cotton T-shirts.
BCI has now expanded its traceability solution to all countries where it runs field-level programmes, while also supporting suppliers and manufacturers to comply with its Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard. The CoC Standard outlines the requirements for handling Physical BCI Cotton and ensures system integrity throughout the supply chain.
Over the past 12 months, BCI Traceability has been launched in Australia and Brazil, and the number of suppliers and manufacturers aligned with its CoC Standard has surged from 700 in 2024 to more than 2,000 today.
“Making traceability both accessible to the market and inclusive of all BCI farmers has been a key goal,” Broomhead said. “This milestone is the result of close collaboration with our retailer and supplier community, who played a vital role in developing and adopting the solution.”
Strengthening Consumer Confidence with New Label
The continued expansion of BCI Traceability is instrumental to the rollout of BCI’s new product label, launched last month. The label—available exclusively to BCI Retailer and Brand Members—allows companies to confidently claim that their products contain Physical BCI Cotton, certified by a third-party body and traced back to its country of origin.
By combining full traceability with third-party certification, the new label provides stronger reassurance to consumers while enhancing brand credibility across global markets.
With its latest milestone, BCI reinforces its role as a leading force in responsible cotton production, transparency, and impactful supply-chain transformation.
