Alignment with regenerative standards now complete at BCI
Cotton sustainability body Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has announced a change to its standards system.
On October 13, the Geneva-based organisation said it was now officially operating as a regenerative standard system. It said this move was part of its efforts to drive healthier soils, more resilient ecosystems and stronger farmer livelihoods at scale.
A third-party assessment by sustainability consultancy SureHarvest first reviewed BCI’s standard system against existing regenerative agriculture programmes and standards.
BCI said this review had highlighted “positive alignment”, but had also identified gaps and areas for strengthening. Using the SureHarvest analysis as a foundation, BCI began work in June 2025 to complete its move to a regenerative standard system.
It explained that it had spent the last year strengthening its system and creating the tools, frameworks and partnerships needed to promote regenerative outcomes at scale.
Regeneration is not a reset for BCI, it insisted. It said regenerative principles had always been core to its approach to transforming cotton production.
“As the industry increasingly looks to regeneratively farmed cotton as a foundation for sustainable sourcing, BCI is helping to bridge the gap between regenerative ambitions and farming realities,” it added, “ensuring that progress is driven through genuine partnership with farmers and backed by measurable outcomes.”
The organisation went on to say that for retailers, brands and suppliers, this change will provide a means of setting and meeting corporate regenerative sourcing targets.
Chief executive, Nick Weatherill, said: “Our transition to a regenerative standard system is about unlocking a triple win for nature, farmers and industry. When nature thrives, farmers thrive. And when retailers and brands support those conditions through their sourcing and investment, they help build more resilient supply chains and future-proof the supply of cotton.”
Image: A Gujarati BCI Farmer with cotton grown using regenerative practices.
Credit: BCI/Xepa.
