US Cotton Trust Protocol admitted to ISEAL
UK-based ISEAL, a membership body for global sustainability systems and accreditation organisations, has welcomed the US Cotton Trust Protocol (Trust Protocol) into its fold as a community member.
The news comes after German government initiative Siegelklarheit approved the use of Trust Protocol cotton by the roughly 135-member strong Partnership for Sustainable Textiles earlier in June.
“ISEAL community membership provides the Trust Protocol continued opportunity to set a new standard in more sustainable cotton production, where full transparency is a reality and continuous improvement to reduce our environmental footprint is the central goal,” commented Trust Protocol president, Dr Gary Adams.
The Tennessee-headquartered cotton standard launched summer 2020. As of this month, it has over 700 brand, retailer, mill and manufacturer members. Under the Trust Protocol, growers must continuously demonstrate verifiable improvement across land use, soil carbon, soil loss, water management, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.
To gain ISEAL membership, the organisation had to prove its own commitment to ongoing improvement through both learning and innovation, with evidence of collaboration also being key, it said. Dr Adams described this process as rigorous.
On behalf of the UK body, executive director, Karin Kreider, praised the Trust Protocol for its support of cotton farmers and “innovative” use of data and metrics to measure producers’ impact.
“We are excited to have a fresh perspective in the ISEAL learning community and to have another member working to improve sustainability outcomes in the cotton sector,” she commented.
