One article to understand! How to use a better cotton label? Comprehensive Guide to Certification, Licensing, and Standardization

Have you seen the "Better Cotton" label on the product? As an important symbol in the field of sustainable cotton, the use of better cotton labels is not just about "putting them on as you want" - from certification to licensing, from B2B to B2C, there is a complete set of standardized processes behind it. Today, the editor will summarize this "Better Cotton Label Usage Guide" for everyone. Whether you are a brand owner, manufacturer, orsupplier, you can quickly get compliance points!

1、 What is a better cotton label?

Simply put, this is the official label used to identify products containing "physically better cotton", which can be divided into two categories:

B2C label: affixed to finished products (such as T-shirts, home textiles), aimed at consumers, telling them that 'this product uses sustainable cotton'.

B2B label: used for unfinished products (such as cotton yarn and fabrics), used in inter enterprise transactions, officially launched from September 2025.

2、 Who can use these labels? What is the threshold?

Not all companies can post it! We need to first meet these 'hard conditions':

Label Type-B2C Label

Target audience: Retailers/Brand Members (RB Members)

Core requirements: ① Become a Better Cotton member; ② Certified by Chain of Custody (CoC); ③ Complete declaration training; ④ Sign the trademark license agreement; ⑤ The label design needs to be approved by BCI.

Label Type-B2B Label

Target audience: Supplier/Manufacturer Members (SM Members)

Core requirements: ① Become a Better Cotton member; ② Certified by CoC; ③ Sign thetrademark license agreement; ④ Can be used after September 2025.

⚠   Key point: Even if non member companies pass certification, they can only use the "certification organization logo" and cannot use B2B/B2C labels, and the logo cannot be affixed to the product!

3、 The necessary 'licensing process' before using tags

1. Certification Body (CB) takes the lead

CB needs to sign a Master License Agreement with Better Cotton before assisting the company with subsequent related matters.

2. Enterprises sign 'sub license agreements'

Enterprises that want to affix labels need to sign a "Sublicense Agreement" with CB after review, confirming that their company is a member that can be checked on the official website.

3. Upload Protocol

After the agreement is signed, CB needs to upload it to the Intact platform before the enterprise can receive the label design file (on the Canto platform).

4、 When using tags, these 'red lines' cannot be touched!

1. Cotton content: Both B2B and B2C labels require that 100% of the cotton in the product is "physically good cotton" and traced through a separate production and sales chain (mixed cotton is not allowed).

2. B2B additional requirement: Cotton accounts for at least 5% of the total weight of the finished product (including accessories) in the unfinished product.

3. Approval process: B2C labels must be submitted for design through the myBetterCotton portal and approved by BCI before printing/publishing. Missing this step may result in being required to rectify!

5、 If you don't understand, just ask! These issues are often mentioned

How to check if a company is a member?

Click on the "Find Members" page on the Better Cotton official website to search.

Can non members use tags?

No, only members can apply for B2B/B2C labels.

Where can I obtain the label design file?

CB will provide corresponding Canto links, which vary for different enterprises (RB/SM/non members).

The compliant use of good cotton labels is not only responsible to consumers, but also a reflection of enterprises practicing sustainable development. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the ASCP team for more information.

Reference: This article is organized based on the "Better Cotton Claims&Label Guidance for Certification Bodies" (Better Cotton Claims and Labels - Certification Body Guide), and the latest official specifications shall prevail.

As a third-party certification body approved by BCI, ASCP has issued good cotton certificates to numerous clients. In the future, we look forward to working together with more customers to contribute to the prosperity of the global ecological environment and cotton industry.