US Cotton Trust launches campaign for Trust Protocol
A new campaign is reaching out to American cotton growers, encouraging them to join the US Cotton Trust Protocol, a new standard for verifying the sustainability progress of US cotton. Enrolling in the Trust Protocol can help growers demonstrate the sustainability record of their cotton in the global market.
Live webinar sessions will discuss the importance of grower participation and to provide guidance on how to enroll. These sessions will begin on September 29th, with more continuing through October. Information on registration can be found on the US Cotton Trust Protocol website.
Participating growers commit to documenting and tracking progress in areas including soil carbon health and reductions in soil erosion, overall land use, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The Trust Protocol hopes to have more than 50% of all US cotton registered as Trust Protocol Cotton by 2025.
“Consumers want more transparency when it comes to the products they purchase, and the European Union is threatening brands and retailers with stricter regulations when it comes to sustainability reporting and the responsible sourcing of raw materials. These evolving dynamics prompted the creation of a new sustainability standard for cotton and the launching of the US Trust Protocol by the industry,” said Gary Adams, president of the Trust Protocol.
By joining, he said, growers can better document current sustainability programmes using a quantifiable, digital platform. That data is assessed and verified by a third-party audit, he said, which is “something no other cotton producing nation does today”.
