Sustainability The Prime Focus For The U.S. Cotton Industry

Since Covid-19, it has been observed globally that sustainability has been one of the topics that has gained attention among the brands, retailers and consumers. On one hand, there has been a shift in consumers’ choices for more sustainable products, and on the other hand brands and retailers are choosing sustainable practices throughout their supply chains.

The U.S. cotton industry has always had a sustainability-focused approach and has one of the most comprehensive systems for monitoring and measuring the key metrics to reduce environmental impact. The 16,000 cotton farms in the United States have been committed to continuous improvement for decades. For the past 35 years, U.S. cotton production used less water per bale, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced energy consumption, all while reducing land use per bale. Minimal tillage, GPS and sensor-driven precision agriculture and the growing of winter cover crops are the practices adopted for improved soil health, reducing loss and erosion and increasing soil carbon levels.

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

In a period of ever greater supply chain scrutiny and an increasing demand for transparency and traceability, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol (Trust Protocol) sets up a new standard for more sustainably grown cotton. It offers quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production and drives continuous improvement in key sustainability metrics. It gives the brand and retailers the critical assurances they need to ascertain that the cotton fibre element of their supply chain is more sustainably grown, ensuring lower environmental and social risk. Trust Protocol helps the apparel industry to measure the sustainability commitments to its customers, stakeholders and to itself.