Cotton ginning plant

BETTER COTTON INITIATIVE TRUST CHAIN

This system encompasses supply chain organizations that support and incentivize the supply of Better Cotton by creating demand for Better Cotton, and that wish to conduct the buying and selling of products containing cotton, as Better Cotton or BCI orders, in accordance with the BCI Chain of Consumption Principles.

The Good Cotton Chain of Consumption requires that Good Cotton, produced by Licensed BCI Farmers, be physically separated from all other cotton at the farmer and ginning level. "Mass balance" is followed for subsequent actors after ginning, and BCI orders are placed with a Good Cotton declaration.

Within the framework of the Good Cotton Consignment Chain, our association's roles and responsibilities are at the farmer and ginning plant levels. For detailed information about other consignment chain actors, you can contact the BCI Membership and Supply Chain Country Team; their contact information is available on the homepage.

COTTON GINNING FACILITIES

These are organizations that purchase Better Cotton from licensed BCI farmers, gin this cotton, and then sell it as lint, thus ensuring the Better Cotton supply chain is maintained, and that all these processes are carried out according to BCI Chain of Consumption Principles.

The requirements that Good Cotton/BCI ginning plants are expected to meet are detailed in the Good Cotton Chain of Consumption Principles document. These can be summarized as follows:

• Assign at least one staff member responsible for ensuring compliance with Chain of Custody requirements, able to record and utilize the necessary data in the Better Cotton Platform (BCP), track necessary documentation for traceability, attend required training, and assist with monitoring/audit visits.

• To ensure that Good Cotton is physically separated and identified (visually/physically and in documentation) from conventional (traditional, other) cotton at all stages (purchasing, storage, processing/ginning, baling, and sale).

• To prove that the purchased raw cotton comes from licensed BCI farmers, to ensure the traceability of the produced/sold cotton bales back to the licensed BCI farmers from whom they were purchased, and to list all stages/processes from the purchase from the farmer to the sale of the cotton bales.

• To ensure traceability and verifiability, all records relating to purchase, storage, processing/ginning, baling, and sale must be maintained and kept for at least two years.

• To ensure that all relevant records and documents are true, accurate, and consistent, containing the necessary information, and to report them in a timely manner.

• Providing access to all areas where Good Cotton is purchased, stored, processed/ginned, baled, and sold, as well as all records and documents related to these processes, within the scope of monitoring visits to be carried out by BCI or BCI-approved third-party independent auditors (on-site or remote audit).

Click here to access the 2024-25 Cotton Ginning Plants list.