The US Cotton Trust Protocol is welcoming its first 10 US cotton textile manufacturers – Buhler Quality Yarns, Cap Yarns, CCW, Contempora Fabrics, Cotswold Industries Inc., Frontier Yarns, Hamrick Mills, Inman Mills, Parkdale Inc., Swisstex Direct as members. US Cotton Trust Protocol membership enables the mills and manufacturers to prove that they are an approved supply chain partner for brands and retailers who are sourcing more sustainably grown cotton.

“One of our goals with the Trust Protocol is to give brands and retailers greater confidence when including US cotton in their sourcing mix. Our emphasis on measurement and independent verification can provide confidence and trust that a brand is using quality, responsibly grown cotton and producing a product that consumers can believe in,” said Dr. Gary Adams, president of the US Cotton Trust Protocol.

“We are delighted that these US mills have joined the Trust Protocol as that supports the much sought-after supply chain transparency and by using US manufactured cotton products, brands and retailers are choosing a reliable and transparent partner right here in the USA.”

Mills and manufacturers who become members of the Trust Protocol have access to the Trust Protocol credit system to validate consumption of cotton and associated credits. The combination of a unique credit accounting system and the Permanent Bale Identification (PBI) system enables brands to have transparency throughout the supply chain to finished product.

The Trust Protocol has been invited to join Cotton 2040 and its CottonUp guide and also is on the Textile Exchange’s list of 36 preferred fibers and materials that more than 170 participating brands and retailers can select from as part of Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index program. In December the Trust Protocol also announced Gap Inc. joined as part of its integrated sustainability strategy and to help achieve its commitment to use only 100% sustainably sourced cotton by 2025.

In a period of ever-greater supply chain scrutiny and a growing demand for transparency, the US Cotton Trust Protocol aims to set a new standard for more sustainably grown cotton. It also aims to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to responsibly-grown cotton production and drives continuous improvement in key sustainability metrics.

“The Trust Protocol underpins and verifies US cotton’s 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 fibre element of their supply chain is more sustainably grown with lower environmental and social risk. Brands and retailers will gain access to US cotton with sustainability credentials proven via Field to Market, measured via the Fieldprint Calculator and verified with Control Union Certifications,” the organisation says.

The US Cotton Trust Protocol is overseen by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors comprised of representatives from brands and retailers, civil society and independent sustainability experts as well as the cotton-growing industry, including growers, ginners, merchants, wholesalers and cooperatives, mills and cottonseed handlers.

US Cotton Trust Protocol Website