The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has announced significant progress one year after becoming an externally verified standard. BCI revealed that more than 3,000 cotton farms and producer units have been certified, with over 30% of farms and producer units supplying BCI Cotton receiving a positive audit outcome.

As of January 2026, every supply chain actor sourcing Physical BCI Cotton has been certified. Retailers and brands who undergo certification and source Physical BCI Cotton from a fully certified supply chain are also eligible to use the recently launched BCI Cotton Label, which indicates that a product contains more than 30% Physical BCI Cotton.

Tom Owen, Head of Certification at the Better Cotton Initiative, emphasized that the level of engagement across agricultural and textile supply chains reflects a growing recognition of certification’s importance within these sectors. The organization has onboarded a growing network of over 50 certification bodies to complete this work.

To help strengthen and scale its certification efforts, BCI has partnered with the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS), a leader in agricultural supply chain certification and accreditation. IOAS will evaluate and accredit all certification bodies operating in the BCI system.