What Bettercoal does

Bettercoal is a UK-registered not-for-profit membership organization established in 2012 by major European utilities to promote continuous improvement in the mining and sourcing of coal. It now operates as a programme under the Responsible Commodities Sourcing Initiative (RECOSI), launched in 2024. Its core product is the Bettercoal Code 2.0, an international sustainability standard comprising 144 provisions across 12 ESG principles, independently assured by trained Lead Assessors through a four-year site assessment cycle and a newly introduced Desktop Assessment Process.

The organization serves two principal customer segments: utility and energy company Members who fund and govern the programme (including RWE, Grosskraftwerk Mannheim AG, and Engie Energía Chile), and coal producers who commit via a Letter of Commitment and undergo assessment. Revenue is generated through recurring membership fees and per-assessment producer fees. The assessment process produces a tailored Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP), evidenced and re-verified between site visits, with assessors trained and approved via a formal Lead Assessor Programme. Governance is multi-stakeholder, supported by a Technical & Advisory Committee with civil society, labour, and industry representation, alongside Country Working Groups in Colombia and South Africa.

Bettercoal's producer network currently includes six active producers across four countries (Colombia, Germany, USA, South Africa) and has delivered 69 assessments across eight countries historically. In 2022 the organisation suspended activities in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Under RECOSI it has launched a parallel Gas Programme, applying the same sector-specific assurance methodology to gas supply chains as its first expansion beyond coal.

Name

Bettercoal

Legal name

Responsible Commodities Sourcing Initiative

Website

https://bettercoal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bettercoal is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation running the Bettercoal Code 2.0 ESG standard (144 provisions) for responsible coal sourcing, serving major utility members and coal producers worldwide and now expanded into gas under the RECOSI umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

ESG and Sustainability Assurance Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Coal Mining (213113)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain (Scope 3) Emissions & Supplier Engagement Platforms (EUABAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards) (EUABAEAJ), ESG Strategy & Materiality Assessment (EUAHAJAA)

Keywords

• Coal supply chain ESG
• Sustainability assessment services
• Responsible mining standards
• Third party assurance
• Coal producer compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Companies committed to sourcing coal in line with the highest international standards join the Bettercoal Programme as Members. RECOSI is a membership organization governed by its members.
2. Producer Assessment Fees: Coal producers who commit to the Bettercoal Code undergo on-site mine assessments and continuous improvement plans. Assessment fees are charged for the independent verification process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bettercoal operates an international sustainability programme that assesses and assures ethical, environmental, and social performance in the coal mining supply chain. It runs the Bettercoal Code 2.0 standard (144 provisions across 12 ESG principles) and delivers independent third-party site assessments, a Desktop Assessment Process with AI-powered Gap Analysis, and tailored Continuous Improvement Plans for coal producers. Members (major utilities) join to support responsible coal sourcing, while producers commit to ongoing ESG improvement over a four-year cycle.

Product overview

Bettercoal is an internationally recognised Standard operating under the Responsible Commodities Sourcing Initiative (RECOSI), working towards a global responsible coal supply chain. The core product is the Bettercoal Code 2.0, a sustainability standard with 144 provisions under 12 ESG principles. The Bettercoal Programme encompasses two assessment pathways: the established Bettercoal Site Assessment (the only route to Bettercoal Producer Status) and the newly launched Bettercoal Desktop Assessment Process (2026) which uses AI-powered Gap Assessment combined with independent Assessor verification. Both pathways lead to tailored Continuous Improvement Plans that producers work through over four-year cycles. Additional offerings include the Lead Assessor Programme, Bettercoal Grievance Mechanism, and under RECOSI, the new RECOSI Gas Programme for gas supply chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bettercoal Code 2.0 International sustainability standard for assessing, assuring, and sustaining stringent ethical, environmental and social performance across the coal mining supply chain, consisting of 144 provisions under 12 ESG principles.
• Bettercoal Programme Overall assessment and assurance programme promoting continuous improvement in the mining and sourcing of coal, working with members (major utilities) and coal producers to implement responsible practices.
• Bettercoal Site Assessment The established core assurance mechanism of the Bettercoal Programme and the only pathway to achieving Bettercoal Producer Status, involving independent Lead Assessors assessing coal producers against the 144 provisions of the Standard.
• Bettercoal Desktop Assessment Process New entry point into the Bettercoal Programme combining AI-powered Gap Assessment of policies and management systems with independent Assessor verification and staged Continuous Improvement Plan, offering earlier insight into producers' ESG risks.
• Bettercoal Assurance System Overarching framework covering four stages of assessment (supplier commitment, desktop review, site assessment, and continuous improvement), ensuring alignment with ISEAL Code of Good Practice.
• Lead Assessor Programme Programme for training, approving, and managing independent Lead Assessors who conduct assessments against the Bettercoal Code, including application forms, approval criteria, and allocation procedures.
• Bettercoal Grievance Mechanism Mechanism for submitting grievances and appeals, with scope, eligibility criteria, procedural steps, and reporting structure ensuring complainants are protected from retaliation.
• RECOSI Gas Programme ESG framework developed for responsible gas supply chains from production to sale, the first sector-specific programme under RECOSI following the Bettercoal model.

Quantifiable outcome

• 69 assessments completed in 8 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• RECOSI (Responsible Commodities Sourcing Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2024RECOSI is the parent organization established by major European utilities. Bettercoal Programme operates under the RECOSI umbrella along with the new RECOSI Gas Programme. RECOSI develops sector-specific assessment and assurance programmes that monitor and evaluate ESG performance.
• RECOSI Gas ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2023Building on over a decade of experience in coal, RECOSI has been working collaboratively with stakeholders to build the RECOSI Gas programme since 2022. This is the first sector-specific programme beyond coal.
• ResponsibleSteelflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2022ResponsibleSteel formally recognized the Bettercoal Code 2.0 for Level 2 of their responsible sourcing requirements. This recognition verifies Bettercoal's ability to credibly assess and verify environmental, social and governance performance of coal suppliers.
• UL SolutionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Bettercoal engaged UL Solutions to complete a comprehensive review of its assurance documentation and processes, covering all four stages of assurance processes: supplier commitment, desktop review, site assessment, and continuous improvement.
• Equitable OriginminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2018Bettercoal and Equitable Origin signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on responsible sourcing standards.
• World Coal AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Bettercoal and the World Coal Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on industry standards.
• UN Global CompactflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2017Bettercoal joined the UN Global Compact in August 2017 and has participated since then, supporting its Ten Principles spanning Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption. Bettercoal promotes the Ten Principles in its work programme.
• ResponsibleSteel (Associate Membership)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2017Bettercoal joined ResponsibleSteel as an Associate Member in August 2017.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Equitable Origin: Develops and operates certification systems for responsible energy and resource development, including oil & gas and mining. Directly comparable as a multi-stakeholder responsible sourcing certification body with an MOU partnership with Bettercoal.
• ResponsibleSteel: Operates an international multi-stakeholder responsible sourcing and certification standard for the steel industry, with an assurance system structurally analogous to Bettercoal. Directly comparable as a commodity-specific ESG assurance body and a formal Bettercoal partner.
• Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA): Provides independent third-party verification of mining operations against a comprehensive standard covering environmental, social, and governance issues. Closely comparable as a multi-stakeholder mining ESG assurance standard that competes for the same utility supply-chain due diligence budgets.
• Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI): Operates standards, assessment tools, and due diligence programs for responsible mineral supply chains. Comparable as a multi-commodity responsible sourcing assurance initiative serving downstream corporate buyers in extractive supply chains.
• The Copper Mark: Industry-led assurance framework for responsible copper production, with third-party verification of ESG performance at mine sites. Directly comparable as a commodity-specific mining ESG assurance standard used by downstream buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Operates a globally recognised multi-stakeholder responsible sourcing certification standard for forestry products. Comparable in governance model (multi-stakeholder, ISEAL-aligned) and approach to commodity supply-chain ESG assurance, though applied to a different commodity.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global disclosure system for environmental impact covering climate, water, and forests, used by utilities and mining companies. Comparable as a standard-setting ESG reporting and benchmarking platform relevant to the same corporate buyers Bettercoal serves.
• World Benchmarking Alliance: Publishes public benchmarks ranking companies on their contributions to the SDGs, including a dedicated coal benchmark. Overlaps with Bettercoal in publicly evaluating coal mining ESG performance, though it does not run producer assessments.

Others

• ISEAL Alliance: Global membership organization for credible sustainability standards. Bettercoal explicitly aligns its assurance system to the ISEAL Code of Good Practice, making ISEAL an ecosystem / governance peer rather than a competitor.

Emerging players

• Alliance for Responsible Mining (Fairmined): Standards and certification organization for artisanal and small-scale mining, with comparable assurance model. Relevant adjacent peer in mining ESG certification but focused on a different mining segment (ASM vs. industrial coal).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bettercoal