Textile Exchange adds US Cotton Trust protocol to list

The US Cotton Trust Protocol has been added to Textile Exchange’s list of preferred fibres and materials containing around 36 fibres and materials, which over 170 participating brands and retailers can select from as part of Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index programme. Textile Exchange is an organisation for sustainable fibre and materials industry.

Textile Exchange defines a preferred fibre or material as one which results in improved environmental and/or social sustainability outcomes and impacts in comparison to conventional production. The Trust Protocol will join a portfolio of more sustainable cotton production initiatives including the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA), Fairtrade Cotton, Organic Cotton, REEL, ISCC, and Recycled Cotton as a preferred cotton fibre, according to a press release by the Cotton Council International (CCI).

The master list of preferred fibres and materials evolves over time as sustainability innovations prove themselves. Textile Exchange consults widely with its members and NGO partners to ensure the categories are always reflective of the latest thinking.

“We are pleased to see the US Cotton Trust Protocol recognised on Textile Exchange’s list of preferred fibres and materials. The protocol is an industry-wide system that will guide US cotton growers to continuously improve and reduce their environmental footprint. We will provide brands and retailers with aggregate data that track the efforts of US cotton growers to improve water and soil conservation and reduce greenhouse gases. These data will support the fashion and retail industries in their efforts to demonstrate progress toward sustainability goals,” Ken Burton, executive director of the US Cotton Trust Protocol said.

Textile Exchange encourages companies to accelerate their use of preferred fibres, and acknowledges and honours companies that recognise the importance of integrating a preferred fibre and materials strategy into their business practices.

“At Textile Exchange, our mission is to inspire and equip people to accelerate sustainable practices in the textile value chain. We’re pleased to add Trust Protocol cotton to our list of preferred fibre and materials, which will give brands and retailers another option to source sustainable cotton as they integrate preferred fibres into their business strategy,” La Rhea Pepper, managing director of Textile Exchange said.

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