The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol welcomed its first 10 U.S. cotton textile manufacturers on Monday.
Buhler Quality Yarns, Cap Yarns, CCW, Contempora Fabrics, Cotswold Industries Inc., Frontier Yarns, Hamrick Mills, Inman Mills, Parkdale Inc. and Swisstex Direct have all joined the American cotton sustainability group, it reported.
U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol membership enables these mills and manufacturers to prove they are an approved supply chain partner for brands and retailers that are sourcing more sustainably grown cotton.
“One of our goals with the Trust Protocol is to give brands and retailers greater confidence when including U.S. cotton in their sourcing mix,” Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, said. “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. We are delighted that these U.S. mills have joined the Trust Protocol as that supports the much sought-after supply chain transparency and by using U.S. 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 its credit system to validate consumption of cotton and associated credits. The combination of the 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 from which more than 170 participating brands and retailers can select as part of Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index program. Earlier this month, the Trust Protocol also announced that Gap Inc. joined as part of its integrated sustainability strategy and to help achieve its commitment to use only 100 percent sustainably sourced cotton by 2025.
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The Trust Protocol underpins and verifies U.S. cotton’s progress through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification. Brands and retailers will gain access to U.S. cotton with sustainability credentials proven via Field to Market, measured via the Fieldprint Calculator and verified with Control Union Certifications.
The 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.