The U.S. is the third largest producer of cotton in the world and is by far the largest exporter (with almost a 40% share). The U.S. has 16,000 cotton farm families, who own and live on the land. As families who pass on their farms to future generations, it’s in their interests to take care of the land. The U.S. growers have a high rate of adoption for precision agriculture and best management practices. Importantly, the U.S. legal framework covers environmental regulations on pesticides, labor, wages, working conditions, safety and health. U.S. cotton is also regulated as a food crop, making it safe for people and the environment.
The U.S. has a comprehensive system for monitoring and measuring key sustainability outcomes. Over the past 35 years, U.S. cotton production has used 82% less water per bale and 38% less energy, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, all while reducing land use per bale by 31%. The adoption of practices such as minimal tillage, GPS and sensor-driven precision agriculture, and the growing of winter cover crops have further improved soil health, reducing loss and erosion by 44% per acre and increasing soil carbon levels.
The U.S. is the only country in the world with quantifiable, established and measurable goals for continued improvement in environmental stewardship. The U.S. cotton industry is committed to continuous improvement and innovation, in order to set a new standard in more sustainable cotton production.
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol sets a new standard for more sustainably grown cotton. It brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production and drives continuous improvement in key sustainability metrics. The Trust Protocol underpins and verifies U.S. cotton’s sustainability progress through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification. Choosing Trust Protocol cotton will give brands and retailers the critical assurances they need that the cotton fiber element of their supply chain is more sustainably grown with lower environmental and social risk. Brands and retailers will gain access to U.S. cotton with sustainability credentials proven via Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, measured via the Field Calculator and verified with Control Union Certifications. Trust Protocol members will be working with participating growers to help drive continuous improvement among six key elements of sustainability: land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency.
Increasing focus on transparency and traceability
Transparency is becoming a major challenge for brands aiming to implement sustainability at every level in supply chain. Most brands have not been able to penetrate below the first-tier supplier, i.e., mainly the garment manufacturer. Traceability has become a larger concern to brands as high risk incidents occur, demonstrating that many companies are unable to track where their products come from, who created them, the conditions under which they were created in and its overall impact on the environment. Awareness and complete information about the supply chain of where the product comes from becomes a first step to initiate any kind of intervention to improve the livelihoods of farmers growing their cotton.
The United States is leading the way in traceable cotton production. COTTON USA has become the cotton the world trusts because of years of transparent partnership. The U.S. cotton industry is the only cotton-producing country that requires a unique Permanent Bale Identification (PBI) number be assigned to every bale of cotton. As each bale goes through the ginning and classing process, this tag goes along with it, so you always know where, when and how it was harvested, ginned and classed. A PBI tag consisting of a 12-digit number and barcode, which identifies the classing office, gin and bale.
Scientific traceability
COTTON USA™ has also signed a partnership with Oritain™ to provide industry leading, forensic verification of origin for all U.S. cotton. A global first for the cotton industry, this collaboration will give brands and retailers the assurance they need to make responsible sourcing and purchasing decisions.
“This partnership with Oritain will provide COTTON USA with a unique selling point in both domestic and export markets,” said Bruce Atherley, Executive Director, Cotton Council International. “Now U.S. cotton will offer the highest level of end-to-end traceability in the industry, combined with a raw material that is leading the way in terms of sustainable practices – two things that global clothing brands now demand from their suppliers.”