Better Cotton has acquired Co:Farm, the AI-driven farm management platform built by Materra, as the standard-setter reorganises itself around regenerative agriculture and field-level data collection at scale.

The deal transfers both the technology and the team behind Co:Farm into Better Cotton. The platform centralises data collection, guides farmers adopting regenerative practices and optimises operations at farm level. For organisations working on the ground, it offers dashboards that build transparency and track regional progress over time.

BCI said integration will expand the platform's reach from Materra's initial 10,000 engaged farmers to more than 1.3 million farmers now aligned with its framework. The organisation plans to implement Co:Farm for the 2027-28 cotton season. It will present a detailed roadmap for the platform at its conference in Marrakech, Morocco, in January.

What does the acquisition change for sourcing teams?

BCI chief executive officer Nick Weatherill said: "Co:Farm will manage BCI's field intelligence, enabling efficient digital data collection at farm level and delivering high-quality validated impact data, actionable insights, greater integrity controls and feedback loops to drive continuous improvement."

He added: "By bringing tried-and-tested field technologies and specialised tech expertise in-house, BCI will strengthen its digital capabilities, easing the administrative burden on farmers and making it simpler for retailers to source BCI cotton backed by credible impact data."

For brands and retailers, the promise is a single, validated data pipeline from field to claim. BCI said more than 20% of global cotton production is already aligned with its standard, so the integrity controls Weatherill describes will apply to a material share of world supply once the platform goes live.

How does the deal fit the regenerative shift?

The acquisition coincides with BCI's transition to a regenerative standard system. The updated Principles and Criteria require BCI Farmers to adopt regenerative practices suited to local conditions and to set continuous-improvement targets across environmental and social indicators.

The organisation said the changes are intended to support locally relevant regenerative farming practices, alongside more consistent measurement of environmental and social outcomes. It has also changed its approach to:

• farm-level investment
• capacity strengthening
• assurance
• impact measurement
• member claims

The regenerative standard system introduces revised requirements for farmers, new capacity-building measures and changes to how impact is measured.

Can retailers build regenerative sourcing targets on it?

BCI said the framework is intended to help retailers, brands and suppliers establish regenerative sourcing targets, while its traceability programme allows product-level claims.

Weatherill framed the transition in supply-chain terms. He 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."

The roadmap presentation in Marrakech in January should show whether the 1.3 million-farmer target and the 2027-28 deployment hold to schedule.