Better Cotton Initiative Audit
We provide an independent Better Cotton Initiative assessment service
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is globally recognised as the largest cotton sustainability program. With a history of just over ten years, the BCI has successfully gathered industrywide support by engaging stakeholders who share their vision. BCI’s core strategy focuses on providing training to farming communities, enabling them to adopt sustainable practices in cotton production, thereby benefiting all parties involved in the cotton supply chain.
If you are a cotton supplier, manufacturer, brand owner, or retailer of cotton goods and would like to support this initiative by becoming a BCI member, please visit their website here to find out more.
Unless exempt, from January 2024, retailers and brand owners that are BCI members will be required to commission an independent assessment of their cotton fibre consumption measurement.
This is to ensure consistency and reliability of their results.
We are an eligible independent assessor and will conduct an independent Better Cotton assessment, which includes:
- Reviewing the cotton fibre consumption submission form
- Reviewing all records related to your business’s cotton fibre consumption measurement in an electronic format
- Reviewing the ‘documented protocol’ of how the records are used to create the cotton fibre consumption measurement
After our assessment is complete, you will have the opportunity to correct any non-conformances and provide the BCI with a signed and completed Outcome Declaration and Conformity Assessment.
Our audits will be conducted online and the requirement and frequency of these will be based on your size category.
Why choose Valpak?
We are an independent third party that has auditors who are experienced in conducting various assessments, including Zero Waste to Landfill certification and waste prevention and diversion reviews. Typically, we complete more than 400 audits per year!
We have also met the requirements set out by BCI.
FAQs
The BCI does not accredit any third parties to provide audit services but does provide guidance as to what experience auditors should have. Valpak meets all of the requirements, which can be viewed here: Independent Assessments Guidance for Independent Assessors
Independent Assessment requirements apply for new retail and brand members from the first annual submission deadline, which falls after a full year of membership. Please refer to the below examples:
- For a membership start date of January 2024, the requirement would apply from the submission deadline of 15 January 2025 onwards
- For a membership start date of April 2024, the requirement would apply from the submission deadline of 15 January 2026 onwards
- For a membership start date of December 2024, the requirement would apply from the submission deadline of 15 January 2026 onwards
Make an enquiry
To find out more, contact us today.
We have been very happy with Valpak’s service on our independent assessment of our Better Cotton consumption. They were well aware of their obligations with respect to the assessment and it was easy to understand which documents they needed in order to make the assessment. The assessment was done very fast after we delivered our documentation, and the pricing was competitive. We have been very happy to work with Valpak.
Kentaur A/S
As a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, we are now required to commission an independent assessment of our cotton fibre consumption measurement. We trust Valpak’s auditing expertise and impartiality – having worked with them on other projects; therefore, sought their assistance. We were delighted with the support we received from Valpak. They have become a trusted sustainability partner.