How CO Works
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How CO works
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CO for you
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Upgrade to PRO
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Sustainability
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Sustainability Definitions
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Help & Support
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Contact Us
CO is for anyone who is working in fashion, or interested in sustainable fashion business. Join for free to get matched with content, training, sustainable suppliers, buyers or experts through a personalised dashboard, and connect with and message anyone on the site.
Any member can create a business profile on CO free of charge. Businesses do not have to be sustainable to create a profile on CO - however the more sustainable the business, the higher its search rankings are on the site. Upgrade to join our associate member network or to drive the success and sustainability impact of your business.
"I love what you’re doing, I get so much business through Common Objective."
Dawn Schuster, Coco Bombay
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Get started on CO
OpenStep 1: Sign up and set your preferences
CO is a matching engine. When you join, we collect information about what you are looking for. You will then be matched with people, suppliers, brands, information and training relevant to you. You can update your preferences at any time. Update your personal profile with your work and skills to get better matches.
Step 2: Create or join a business profile
Any member can create a business profile on CO, showcase products and services to the CO community, and get matched with buyers. All business profiles have a "sustainability weighting" which determines how much promotion they get on the CO site. Complete the sustainability section on your profile to increase your search ranking. If your business is already represented on CO, join the team.
Step 3: Learn, Connect, Create
Search people, content, and businesses on CO using the search bar. Bookmark them to save them in your workspace. Connect with and message anyone on the site. Collaborate with suppliers or brands to create fashion collections through CO Create.
Upgrade to join our associate member network or to drive the success and sustainability impact of your business.
For guidance on any of the above, visit our Help and Support pages or connect with a member of the CO team.
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Learn
OpenWe want to make it easy for all our members to find answers, expand their knowledge and expertise in sustainable fashion business.
1. Articles, reports, and tools
Access over 300 resources and tools to help you or your team succeed in sustainable fashion. From sourcing guides to strategy tools, best practice case studies to innovation, trends, and market data. Bookmark any content to save it in your workspace.
Expand your expertise in sustainable sourcing, business best practice, and more. Gain credit badges and demonstrate your expertise on your profile. Train up your team. All credits gained by team members show on business profiles, boosting business ranking.
All members can access free content. Upgrade to access PRO content, Training Credits, and members events.
"The content is so very good! It's a really useful resource for us."
Sally Townsend, Outland Denim -
Connect
OpenThe CO community brings together thousands of professionals, experts, suppliers, buyers, entrepreneurs, and influencers. We want to make it easy for our members to connect, share best practice, and do business.
1. Connect with and message any member of the CO community. See your latest matches on your dashboard and in your workspace. Bookmark individuals or businesses to save them in your personal workspace on CO. Free members get up to 5 connections every calendar month. Upgrade for unlimited connections.
2. Circles are targeted discussion groups for connecting and interacting with peers, experts, suppliers and buyers.
3. CO Hubs group individuals, businesses and content together to help you to find what you need. We partner with leading organisations to showcase their work and networks through hubs. Interested in partnering? Email us.
Update your preferences on your dashboard to refine your matches with people, organisations, and hubs.
"Finding the CO community is a dream" Head Designer, Rowdy
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Create
OpenCO Create is a tool that brings our members together to develop sustainable fashion products and collections through CO.
Designers and brands: If you are looking for sustainable fabrics or manufacturing services to meet your needs, CO Create is for you. Present your product ideas and sourcing needs in minutes through the CO Create tool, and receive proposals from suppliers in line with your needs.
Suppliers of fabrics or production services:
Browse projects posted by brands, and respond to those that are the best fit for you. Find buying partners that appreciate your strengths and share your goals.
CO Create is available to all PRO business members on CO. Upgrade to one of our business packages to access all of CO.
"So encouraging and inspiring to share this CO space and fuel each other's businesses."
Jackie Corlett, Motif Handmade -
Event Hubs
OpenCO Event Hubs curate digital recordings, slides, resources, and participating delegates, exhibitors and communities from CO's online events.
Learn, be inspired, and find sustainable sourcing partners. The CO Expo Hub showcases leading sustainable, ethical, circular, and fair trade solutions for the fashion industry—covering fabrics to factories worldwide. Explore event recordings, training, sourcing guides, and connect with ideal sourcing partners.
"We had an amazing time being part of the CO Expo"
Vinay Killa, Citrus Fashions Pvt LtdLearn from leading brands. The The CO Brand Leaders Hub unites fashion brand leaders driving sustainability. Access event recordings, join networking circles, and connect with solutions providers to enhance your sustainability practices.
Celebrating excellence in sustainable fashion. Create or update your business profile on CO to be entered into the CO Leadership Awards. Award winners gain higher search ranking on the site and promotion across the CO network.
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Notices
OpenBroadcast your news to the CO Community
The CO community brings together over 65,000+ professionals and brands from across the global fashion industry - all committed to working in a more sustainable way.
The CO Noticeboard allows CO members to promote news, events, opportunities, and jobs to the CO Community. As well as featuring on the noticeboard, any notice you share will also be promoted on your business profile and on relevant articles across the site, allowing you to reach your target audience.
Launching a new product or service? Post a notice on CO
Running an event or project? Promote it on CO
Published an impact report or gained certification? Tell the CO community
Growing your team or looking for partners? Post a notice on COAnyone on CO can check out and respond to notices posted by members.
If you would like to post a notice, upgrade to one of our PRO business packages.
Make CO Work for You
CO is a global community committed to a common objective - great fashion products that value the people who made them - and the planet.
Here is how you can make it work for you:
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For individuals
OpenCO is for anyone who is working in fashion, or interested in sustainable fashion business. Make it work for you:
- Complete your individual profile: Add your photo, skills and experience into your profile to make the most of networking on CO. Complete your preferences on your dashboard to refine your matches.
- Upskill: Expand your knowledge and demonstrate your expertise on your CO profile through CO Training Credits
- Become an associate member: Join a global network of sustainable fashion pioneers, professionals and influencers by becoming an associate member of CO. Access all PRO content and credits, and attend all members only events online.
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For brands and retailers
OpenThousands of brands and retailers use CO to find sustainable suppliers, upskill their team, achieve sustainable growth, and increase their positive impact.
Make CO work for your business:
- Create a business profile: Create a profile for your business on CO to get better supplier matches and to enter the CO Leadership Awards. Access CO Noticeboards through your profile to promote events, news and jobs.
- Upskill your team: Invite your team to join CO to access all content, tools and training on the site.
- Create sustainable collections: Make use of CO Create on CO to work with fabric suppliers and factories on CO to create collections.
Upgrade to one of our business packages to access CO Training Credits and CO Create for your team plus expert support from the CO team to increase your positive impact.
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For suppliers, manufacturers and solutions providers
OpenCO is the world’s largest network of fashion professionals committed to sourcing in a sustainable way. If you supply sustainable fabrics, manufacturing of other services to the fashion industry, then you need a presence on CO.
Make CO work for your business:
- Create a business profile: Create a profile for your business on CO to get matched with buyers and to enter the CO Leadership Awards. Access CO Noticeboards through your profile to promote news and opportunities to the CO Community. Add your team members to your profile to increase networking opportunities with buyers.
- Respond to buyers requests through CO Create: Browse production projects posted by brands on CO and find your next customers.
- Gain year-round visibility in fashion’s online sustainable sourcing hub: The CO Expo Hub highlights top suppliers and solution providers. Showcase in the hub and be recognised as a leader in your field.
Upgrade to one of our business packages to access CO Create, to use CO Noticeboards, and to showcase in the CO Expo Hub.
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For trade bodies and networks
OpenCO is a network of networks - we partner with trade bodies, certifiers and industry networks so that all your members can benefit from the CO platform.
Make CO work for you:
- Invite your network to join: All the members of your network can create business profiles and promote their services to CO’s global buyer base.
- Become a partner: Create a hub on CO to promote your organisation, your network, and your services to all of CO. Email us to find out more.
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For students, colleges and universities
OpenAt CO we want to support the next generation of fashion professionals to become ambassadors for best practice. We partner with colleges across the world to make it easy for students to access premium content, training, and events.
Make CO work for you:
- Discounted Associate membership: We offer a discount code that can be promoted to students by tutors.
- Become a partner: Give full access to all premium content on CO plus expertise from the CO team to hundreds of students, through our college partner packages.
Email us to find out more.
Need more information? Connect with a member of the CO team on CO.
Our goal is to create a thriving and supportive community dedicated to a common objective - fashion that works better for people, and the planet.
At CO, six core values run through everything we do and we encourage our community to embrace them too.
- Business as a force for good - we see business as an engine to make life better for all.
- Warm and welcoming - we see the unique value and strengths in every single member of our community. We strive to welcome and support all the brilliant entrepreneurs, pioneers, and practitioners that are a part of CO - wherever they are in their journey.
- Common objective - we look for win - win solutions to the big challenges that face the fashion industry, alongside partners, clients, and competitors. Collaboration is at the heart of our ethos at CO.
- Bold and confident - we stand up boldly for what we believe in - even when it is difficult or against the grain.
- Can do attitude - We relish a challenge and are confident we can find solutions, whatever the obstacle.
- Honesty (with kindness) - We are straight and honest, but at the same time kind and respectful of diversity and differing viewpoints.
Fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries, and millions of garment workers face risk and live in poverty. Yet when fashion business is done well, it can be transformative for the people behind the product, and for their environment.
At CO, we’re inspired by the potential for great business to drive value for all. Sustainability to us means generating value in three dimensions (3D) - the “triple bottom line” - in which people, planet and profits are considered equally fundamental to business success.
The CO platform turns doing business better into an opportunity, rather than a cost. We support and reward our members for better practices. We want to make it easy for businesses everywhere to operate in 3D.
How does CO reward good sustainability practice?
Any business can create a business profile on CO - we do not require our members to meet sustainability standards to be a part of the community. Instead, we look to support and reward best practice, so that those businesses that operate most sustainably, gain higher search rankings, more views and more customers. For buyers, this makes it easier to find the most sustainable sourcing option on CO.
Three factors influence business sustainability ranking on CO:
1. Business Profile
By demonstrating sustainability commitments on your business profile, you stand to gain increased visibility on the site, and make more connections with potential customers.
2. Awards
Both individuals and businesses that show leadership in furthering sustainability in the fashion industry are eligible for the CO leadership awards. These increase profile and search rankings for their recipients.
3. Training Credits
We believe that businesses should be rewarded for upskilling their team when it comes to sustainability best practice. That’s why we created CO Training Credits. Credits gained by team members automatically boost the ranking of any business they are associated with.
Does CO verify members' sustainability claims?
CO is not an auditor or a certifier - we do not visit factories, or audit members production processes.
However, we do:
- Require all suppliers that participate in CO Expo to meet our CO Leadership Award Criteria
- Review all members that have earned a CO Award against our award criteria once per year
- Require all business members to upload and/or link to documented evidence for certifications held, memberships, and policies
- Perform a proportionate quality control check on these
- Have a feedback mechanism allowing members to report concerns of sustainability claims to us
- Partner with other certification and auditing bodies to inform and support best practices by CO members
At CO, we define sustainability as success across three dimensions: commercial, social, and environmental.
The Company Practices section of the CO profile is an opportunity to share what businesses are doing across various key environmental and social areas.
Here’s what we mean by each area:
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Protecting the Environment
OpenEnergy & Water Efficiency
How do you optimise lower impact or less polluting energy sources in your processes and/or products?
How do you prevent water pollution and wastage in your processes and/or products?
Reducing your environmental impact involves thinking about the natural resources used in your production or in making the products you sell. It’s about managing those resources as efficiently as possible. Working this way can help limit your environmental impact, including on global warming – plus it can bring significant cost savings.
Chemical Management
What are your approaches for cutting the use of hazardous chemicals?
Around 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used in the fashion, textile and footwear industry.
Think about how chemicals are used in your processes or products. How are you managing the use of hazardous chemicals? Check the regularly updated ZDHC MRSL list on restricted substances for conformity guidance.
Pollution Reduction
How do your processes help keep our air and water clean?
Pollution – of air, land and water – occurs at all stages of the supply chain. For example, 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment. Are you measuring the emissions from your production processes or that are attributable to your products? What are you doing to reduce these?
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Recycling & Waste
OpenAre your products and/or processes reducing waste? What recycling/upcycling/circular approaches do you use?
Recycling treats used or waste products so they can be reused not discarded. For textiles, this can result in a drop in quality or requires items to be reprocessed into something new (eg turning old clothes into new fibre).
Upcycling reuses the material or product without degrading the quality and composition of the material for its next use (eg turning bicycle tyres into jewellery).
Unlike a linear economy (make, use, dispose), a circular approach means products are designed with their eventual reuse in mind.
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Environmentally Friendly Materials
OpenOrganic Materials
How do you use organically grown fibres?
Pesticides and insecticides used in growing crops, primarily cotton for the fashion industry, affect our natural environment and the farmers who grow them.
Are you using organically grown cotton or other fibres? Do you have a plan to increase your use of these? Are you a 100% organic brand or manufacturer?
Other Environmentally Friendly Materials (excl organic)
How do you use non-organic materials that are kind to the environment?
Aside from organically grown fibres, there is an increasing number of more environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional textile fibres and materials. These include recycled and alternative fibres (eg hemp, nettle), closed loop and/or more sustainably produced cotton (BCI, CmIA), innovative cellulosics from waste products and several more.
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Fair Trade
OpenDo you conform to the FINE definition of Fair Trade for marginalised producers and workers?
Fair Trade is often understood differently. At CO we use – and suggest you use – the FINE definition:
"Fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair trade organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade".
Do you aim
- to work with marginalised producers and workers to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency,
- to empower producers and workers as stakeholders in their own organisations,
- actively to play a wider role to achieve greater equity in international trade?
(Fairtrade certified goods – both Fairtrade Cotton and Fairtrade Textiles – and WFTO membership comply with the FINE definition.)
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Decent Working Conditions
OpenHow do you ensure all workers in your operations have decent work adhering to minimum labour standards?
Formal and informal workers in your operations and in those of your suppliers have a right to work with dignity and enjoy a good livelihood. Ensuring this includes, but is not limited to, providing good working conditions as outlined in the ETI Base Code on wages, working hours, health and safety, and social protection.
Consider what steps you are taking to meet such standards. For example, is your workplace (and/or that of your suppliers) unionised?
Further reading on decent working conditions:
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Support Traditional Skills
OpenHow do you promote and support traditional artisans and their skills?
How do you promote and support traditional artisans and their skills?
Heritage and handwork skills sustain local livelihoods and can have fewer negative social and environmental impacts as mass produced goods. Informal workers, often women with families to support, also benefit from a revival of traditional crafts and skills, as many are homeworkers.Consider sourcing from artisans – many of whom now trade direct online – for components of products or for finishing. Doing so can help skills such as handspinning, handweaving and finishing to thrive.
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Ethical Sourcing & Supply Chain Management
OpenHow do you find and work with suppliers in an ethical way?
Whom you choose to buy from and how you trade with them is key to enabling decent working conditions and to minimising any negative impact on local people and the environment.
For example, do you follow social and environmental criteria when sourcing suppliers and/or in your supplier handbook? Check whether your buying practices support or undermine your ethical criteria.
Further reading on ethical sourcing and supply chain management:
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Animal Friendly
OpenDo you avoid the use of all or some animal derived materials? If you use animal products how do you ensure the welfare of the animals?
Animal derived materials such as leather, wool, silk, fur, down, bone and exotic skins have been used in fashion for centuries. However some materials require the death of the animal, others may be raised in poor conditions.
Do you have a vegan approach of no animal products? Or a ban on certain materials?
If you use animal-derived products what do you do to to ensure good animal husbandry, including:
- freedom from hunger and thirst
- freedom from discomfort
- freedom from pain, injury or disease
- freedom to express normal behaviour
- freedom from fear and distress
Further reading on animals and fashion:
Personal Profiles
Business Profiles
Business Ranking
Your personal profile is where you tell others about you: your work, values, skills and credentials. You can upload images, videos and PDFs of your work, add your CV and work experience, and let others know what you’re looking for.
Information on your personal profile is used to match you with other CO users.
You can use the individual profile to highlight what you do by using the Bio and Portfolio sections. However, if you run your own business, or have permission to set up a profile for the business you work for, you may also set up a Business Profile. Business profiles are also free on CO, and they will be linked to your personal profile. If you are involved in multiple businesses, you can set up a business profile for each business.
As a free member you can upload 3 portfolio files to your personal profile, and make 5 connections per month. Upgrade to upload up to 10 files, for unlimited connections and to access all PRO content, training, and events. As a PRO member, you will also be able to feature CO Training Credits on your profile.
Business profiles are managed by an administrator, who is the person that first registered the business on CO. They can edit the business profile and invite other users to become administrators too.
Free business profiles are limited to 3 portfolio files/ product galleries. Upgrade to any of our PRO business plans to upload up to 10 product galleries, to promote news or events through CO Noticeboards, to access all PRO content, and for unlimited connections.
Watch our demo video or access further guidance below:
Any business can create a business profile on CO - there are no sustainability requirements to be featured on the site. However, every business profile has a score that determines their ranking on the site. The more sustainable your business, the higher your ranking will be on CO.
The highest ranking businesses on CO get up to 2700% more views than the lowest ranking ones - so it is worth making sure your ranking score is as good as it can be.
General profile information
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How do I edit my profile?
The icon sits at the top of each section of your profile. When you click on this, a pop up will appear where you can add or change information.
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Who can see the information on my profile?
All information is visible on your profile by any logged-in CO user.
You can edit your privacy settings in the Account section.
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How do I connect with people?
When you visit someone else’s profile, you’ll see a connect icon . Click on that icon to send a connection request accompanied by a message to that person. If the connection request is accepted, you can message each other through your messaging inbox. Paid members can send unlimited connection requests.
Profile header information
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What size should my profile picture be?
Your profile picture will be cropped to a circle, so square images work best. A minimum size of 400 x 400 pixels is recommended. If you have quite a large image file, we suggest compressing it via tinypng first.
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How do I link my personal profile to a business profile?
Business profiles that you create, or are linked to, will appear in your personal profile header. You can manage which businesses you are linked to in My Account.
Key information
You can update and change information here at any point. This will help refine the matches you receive. For example if your business priorities change, changing the information here will match you with different connections and resources to help with your new objectives.
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Looking for
This section allows you to specify the products or services that you’re interested in finding on CO. It will help to match you with the right people and organisations on the site so it is worth taking the time to fill in.
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I’d like to connect with
This section gives an overview of the kinds of people and organisations you’d like to connect with on CO. We limit your choice here to 3 because we want to make sure we are prioritising the most important connections for you.
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What matters most to me
Our values are an important part of the way we do business. This section helps others understand what is most important to you in your work and potentially find shared values.
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Skills - what should I write?
The skills section allows you to describe any key competencies, achievements, or completed training that you want to highlight on your profile.
Experience
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Adding experience
To add work experience, click the icon then the + Add experience link. A pop-up will appear where you can enter your role, the organisation you worked for, and the dates you were employed.
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Editing/Deleting existing experience
You can edit or delete your work experience by clicking the icon and then either the Edit or Delete button.
My Work
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What is the work section for?
This is your personal portfolio - upload any images, videos, or PDFs of work you have done to enable other users to see what you can do.
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How do I upload work?
To upload your work, click the icon in the Work section. A pop-up will open which allows you to add a PDF, image, or embed a YouTube video. You will need to add a title, and a short description for each piece of work, and if you’re uploading a PDF or embedding a YouTube video, you will need to also add a thumbnail image.
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What’s the ideal file size for images?
Images should be a minimum of 400 (h) x 300 (w) px and ideally no more than 1MB. We recommend uploading high quality images in portrait format for best results, and using tinypng to compress your images first before uploading to CO.
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How do I crop an image?
You can crop an image my clicking on the image edit button which appears over the image that you have uploaded. This will open a screen that allows you crop the image.
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How do I embed a video?
Note: CO currently supports embedding videos from YouTube only.
- Go to the Youtube video you wish to embed, click the Share button which appears under the video.
- A popup will appear - you need to click on which will bring up the embedding code you need. Copy this code.
- Now go to the Work section of CO and click the Edit icon on the right. Select Embed Video and paste the code you copied from Youtube.
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What’s the maximum file size for a PDF?
The maximum file size is 20MB. We recommend compressing PDFs via Ilovepdf before uploading to allow for easy upload and download from the site.
General
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Creating a business profile
A business profile can only be created by someone with an individual profile. Go to your individual dashboard and click ‘Create Business Profile’ under ‘My Profiles’. The individual user who sets up the business profile will become the default administrator.
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Editing a business profile
The administrator can edit the business profile at anytime by clicking the icons which appear at the top of each section on your profile page.
Profile header information
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How do I edit my background image? Can I upload my own image here? What size should it be?
You can choose from pre-selected images, but we encourage you to upload a header image that represents your business. For example, the kind of image you might put on the front page of your website.
For best results, please upload a 1900 x 900 px image and compress it via tinypng before uploading. To edit the header image, click the edit icon on the top right of the profile header and choose from the pre-selected options or upload an image from your computer. -
Editing your logo - size, shape, cropping
You can upload and edit your logo by clicking the edit icon at the top right of the profile header section. Here you can upload a logo from your computer. Once you have selected and uploaded the logo image, you will be able to crop it to fit inside the circle. Square images with your logo centred in the middle work best.
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Short description
Use this section to succinctly describe your business and what makes it stand out - it could be your business’ tagline. This short description will appear on your business profile preview in search results so it’s a great idea to make it memorable and catchy.
Notices
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What is a notice?
Notices are a promotional space on your business profile that enable you to share your latest news, events, job vacancies, or call-outs to the CO community. As well as your profile, your notice will feature on the CO Noticeboard, on users dashboards, and on any relevant articles on CO.
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How do I create a notice?
You need to upgrade to any of our PRO Business Plans to be able to upload a notice to your business profile. Once you have upgraded, click on the edit button next to the notice banner on your business profile to edit it. Enter all the key information including: title, description, button link, button text, and background image - then click ‘Submit for approval
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How long will it take to be approved?
Once you have submitted your notice, a member of the CO team will either approve it within 2 working days, or contact you about making any edits before it can go live on the site.
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What should I post in a notice?
The more interesting your notice is to the CO community, the more views and traction it will gain. CO brings together professionals, pioneers, brands and suppliers committed to sustainability. The kind of notices that do well include:
- News and innovation: Innovative product launches, blogs and case studies, publishing an impact report, gaining an award or a certification.
- Events: Online or offline events relevant to the CO community.
- Opportunities: Job vacancies, shout-outs for collaborative partners, competitions, specific kinds of suppliers or brands you want to work with, or other opportunities.
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Where will the notice appear?
The main notice lives on your business profile, but will also appear on users’ dashboards, and alongside relevant content.
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Which articles will my notice appear next to?
When your notice is submitted for approval, the CO team will assess it for relevance against our content tags and add those tags so that it appears next to relevant content. For example, if your notice is about looking for artisan suppliers, CO will add the tag ‘artisan’ so that it appears next to any content that also has that same tag.
Portfolio
The Portfolio is the place where you can visually showcase the best of your business. Each tile in the Portfolio can be used to upload images, videos or PDFs.
With a free business profile, you can publish up to 3 portfolio files / product galleries. Upgrade to any of our PRO business packages to increase that to 10.
Click the empty portfolio tile to add a new item and then follow the instructions below:
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Add a gallery of images
Select Gallery from the portfolio type, then give your image gallery a title (30 character limit) and description (300 character limit).
Click + Add another image to add your first image, and give it a title and description. If your business is a brand or supplier, you may also wish to add extra details like where the product was made, what it’s made from, and when it is available to purchase. You can also add a hyperlink to your website or wherever the item can be purchased. -
Add a downloadable PDF
Select PDF from the portfolio type, then give your PDF a title (30 character limit) and description (120 character limit).
Drag and drop your PDF to the upload box, or click Choose file to select from your computer.
You will also need to select an appropriate thumbnail image to represent your PDF on your profile. -
Add a video
Note: CO currently supports embedding videos from YouTube only.
- Go to the Youtube video you wish to embed, click the Share button
- A popup will appear - you need to click on which will bring up the code you need. Copy this code.
- Then go to the Portfolio section of the profile and click the Edit icon on the right. Select add Video from the portfolio type, and give the video and title and copy in the embedding code.
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Editing / Deleting work from my portfolio
Click the Edit icon and the options to either edit delete will appear over the portfolio. You will not be able to retrieve a portfolio once it is deleted.
3D Business Snapshot
This section provides an overview of your business. 3D refers to taking a three dimensional view of the business, looking at the social and environmental as well as commercial aspects.
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Business structure, size and employees and turnover
We collect this information to understand the types of businesses that are using the CO site which enables us to better tailor and develop the site to meet your needs. You can choose to hide this, by ticking ‘Hide this on my profile’.
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About, USP, Mission
This is your opportunity to tell others about your business and what you offer. It should communicate what differentiates your business and your core values.
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Company practices
These are are an overview of your social and environmental practices and are displayed here as a list. The full details of your practices will display in the Sustainability section of your profile. We have a written guide about the CO sustainability definitions to help you fill in this section.
Connect and message
In this section you can connect any member of CO to your business as a part of your team. Visitors to your business profile can then connect and message them through CO. Adding more team members to your business profile will increase views and visits as each individual team member is matched with other members on CO.
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Add your team members to your profile
Click the Edit icon in the Connect and message section to add team members to your profile - you can search for and add any member on CO. Any individuals selected will receive a notification of your request to add them and will be added to your business profile once accepted. Individuals can also request to be added to your business profile, in which case you will receive a notification.
Products & Services
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How should I use this section?
This section is designed to match you with the right connections - the more accurate information provided here, the better your matches will be. There are six groups of products or services to choose from - and you can fill in as many as apply.
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What should I write about my wholesale prices?
If you sell wholesale you can choose to put a price range here to help CO users understand your offer better. Ensure you specify which currency you are dealing in. This information is optional.
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What’s MOQ?
Your MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) gives an indication to other CO users about what capacity you have and the size of orders you require or place. This information is optional.
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What should I write about my closest shipping ports?
Please indicate the main port where your goods are shipped from.
Sustainability
This section provides more information regarding your sustainability commitments; the information you add will help your business to appear higher in the CO search rankings.
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Adding Certifications and Memberships
Click the Edit icon then choose the relevant option from the certifications or memberships dropdown. You are required to provide evidence of your certification or membership on your profile so that other users can be assured of your claims. To do this, you can either upload an in date copy of your business’ certification as a PDF or link to where your business is listed on the relevant certifier or membership organisation’s website.
If your business is certified to a sustainability standard or is a member of a sustainability initiative that is not included here please use the Feedback button to let us know. You can also include this information in the About section above.
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Adding Environmental and Ethical Trading policies
If you have an Environmental and/or Ethical Trading policy upload them here. For more guidance on what these are see the articles below.
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Adding Sustainability Reports
If you publish a sustainability reports you can upload it here. For more guidance on sustainability reports see this article: The Benefits of Sustainability Reporting
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Adding a Sustainability Roadmap
You can upload a sustainability roadmap in this section to demonstrate your long term commitment to sustainability. To access a roadmap template and a step by step guide to creating your strategy, check out the CO toolkit.
Your business ranking score - what matters:
CO ranks business profiles based on merit, taking into account three factors:
- Commercial: The quality of your products and services
- Social: How your business maximises benefits for the people behind your products
- Environmental: Your environmental commitments
How to increase your business ranking on CO:
- Complete all sections of your business profile as fully as possible. Including more uploads in your portfolio will increase your ranking. Upgrade to any PRO Business package on CO to increase your portfolio from 3 to 10 files.
- Increase your commitments to sustainability and share this on your profile. Sustainability policies, certifications, roadmap, impact reports and clear objectives in the sustainability section of your profile all influence your ranking. To access a sustainability roadmap template and guidance, check out the CO Roadmap Toolkit.
- Add all your team members to your business profile - this will increase traffic to your profile.
- Gain CO Training Credits: Every time a member of your team completes a training credit on CO, this boosts the ranking of your business profile. Make sure they are connected to your business profile to benefit.
- Earn a CO Leadership award - this will give your profile a significant boost.
Which parts of your business profile influence your ranking?
The following sections of your business profile influence where you appear in the search ranking:
- USP and Mission
- Portfolio
- Team members
- Company Practices
- Certifications and Memberships
- Sustainability objectives, policies, and roadmap
- Training Credits
PRO Member Benefits
Upgrade to PRO to expand your expertise or to drive the success and sustainability impact of your business. We have packages for individuals, brands, and suppliers. (including suppliers of fabrics, manufacturers, service and solutions providers). If you are an industry organisation or college, get discounted access to PRO by becoming a partner.
Join a community for change
- become a CO Associate
Join a global network of associates committed to better practices in fashion, expand your expertise through CO premium content and training, and build your professional network through PRO member events, a premium personal profile, and unlimited connections.
Upgrade
Expand your knowledge
through CO PRO Content and Events
Unlock access to over 100 PRO resources and tools to help you to do fashion better. Access all CO’s virtual masterclasses and members events, including Brand Leaders Summit, CO Expo masterclasses, and CO Fireside talks with fashion business leaders and pioneers.
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Gain skills and expertise
through CO Training Credits
CO Training Credits are email training courses that give you expertise and skills in sustainable fashion - from fabric sourcing to production, communications, marketing and business.
Each completed course gives you a credit “badge” on your CO profile. If you are connected with a business profile, your credit will also show there, and boost the ranking of that business on CO.
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Upskill your team
through CO content and training
Unlock access to over 100 PRO resources and tools to help your team to do fashion better. Access all CO’s virtual masterclasses and members events, and gain skills and expertise through CO Training Credits - our bite sized email training courses.
Every credit gained by a member of your team shows up on your business profile, boosting your ranking on CO.
Upgrade
Create sustainable collections
through CO Create
Access our flagship software, CO Create. Present your production or fabric sourcing needs in minutes through the CO Create tool, and receive proposals from suppliers to match your requirements.
Find sustainable suppliers that are right for your needs - and enjoy the process.
Upgrade
Access the CO Community
through CO Noticeboards
Benefit from a PRO business profile to drive more traffic to your site, and make use of the CO noticeboard to post job opportunities, events and projects. Notices are displayed on your profile, on users dashboards, and on all relevant articles, allowing you to reach your target audience.
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Achieve the CO Leadership Award Standard
Our Leader package for businesses includes support from CO’s expert team to help you to achieve the CO Leadership Award standard. Catalyse your positive impact when it comes to the people behind your products and the environment. Demonstrate your commitment to best practice to your customers.
Upgrade
Access CO’s global buyer
community
Benefit from a PRO business profile to promote more products, drive more traffic, and make use of the CO noticeboard to post news, events, and opportunities. Notices are displayed on your profile, on users dashboards, and on all relevant articles, allowing you to reach your target audience.
Upgrade
Respond to buyer requests
through CO Create
Access our flagship software, CO Create. Browse production projects and fabric requests posted by brands, and respond with proposals. Grow your business through partnerships with pioneering and leading brands committed to sustainability best practice.
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Feature in Expo
- fashion’s online sustainable sourcing hub
Upgrade to our Leader package to feature your products or services in the CO Expo Hub, attracting thousands of buyers dedicated to sustainable sourcing. Enjoy year-round visibility in this virtual hub.
Upgrade
Upskill your team
through CO content and training
Unlock access to over 100 PRO resources including best practice briefings, innovation, trends and market data. Access all CO’s virtual masterclasses and members events, and demonstrate skills and expertise through CO Training Credits - our bite sized email training courses.
Every credit gained by a member of your team shows up on your business profile, boosting your ranking on CO.
Upgrade
Achieve the CO Leadership Award Standard
Our Leader package for businesses includes support from CO’s expert team to help you to achieve the CO Leadership Award standard. Catalyse your positive impact when it comes to the people behind your products and the environment. Demonstrate your commitment to best practice to your customers.
Upgrade
Please visit our team page - where you can meet our team, connect and message us through CO.
