14 October 2026, Geneva: The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has acquired Co, an artificial intelligence-powered technology platform developed by Materra, to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture across its global cotton sustainability programme.
BCI CEO Nick Weatherill announced the acquisition at a launch reception in Vancouver, Canada, marking the organisation’s transition towards a regenerative standard system. The acquisition is expected to expand Co’s reach from the 10,000 farmers engaged by Materra to more than 1.3 million farmers aligned with BCI’s standard.
The platform will also provide BCI’s global network of brands and retailers with more comprehensive impact data to support sourcing decisions and strengthen the transparency of cotton supply chains.
“Co 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,” said Weatherill.
He added that bringing established field technologies and specialised technical expertise in-house would strengthen BCI’s digital capabilities, reduce the administrative burden on farmers and help retailers source BCI cotton supported by credible impact data.
Co is designed to support the scaling of regenerative agriculture through digital tools and AI-driven guidance. The platform provides farmers with practical tutorials to optimise farm operations, simplify data collection and facilitate the adoption of regenerative practices.
For field-level organisations, the technology consolidates digital farmer profiles across regions and provides dashboards containing comparable historical datasets. These tools enable stakeholders to track progress over time, assess performance and identify areas requiring targeted improvements.
Materra Sees Opportunity to Expand Farmer Impact
Ed Brial, CEO of Materra, said the company developed Co to help farmers and supply chains work together towards a regenerative transition that responds to farmers’ local circumstances while enabling large-scale adoption through consumer-facing retail supply chains.
Having demonstrated the platform’s potential through a sourcing programme involving 10,000 farmers, Brial said BCI was well positioned to expand the model across the cotton sector.
He also highlighted the personal significance of the acquisition, recalling Materra’s early work with 21 pioneering farmers and expressing satisfaction at seeing the initiative move towards implementation at a much larger scale.
Implementation Planned for 2027-28 Cotton Season
BCI plans to implement Co from the 2027-28 cotton season. The organisation will share its roadmap for the platform at its conference in Marrakech, Morocco, scheduled for 25-27 January 2027.
The acquisition is expected to strengthen the role of digital technologies in monitoring farm-level outcomes, improving data integrity and supporting the expansion of regenerative practices across global cotton supply chains.
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