(Credit: US Cotton Trust Protocol)Significant improvements in sustainability metrics have been measured in farm-level data reporting, according to the US Cotton Trust Protocol’s second annual report, which details the results for the 2021-22 period. It also shows an increase in membership across the value chain, the completion of nine successful pilots, and its growing international recognition by independent and government bodies.
The Trust Protocol was able to provide data reporting showing that grower members have demonstrated tangible results across six key metrics. Using peer-to-peer data sharing and aggregated sustainability data provided by the Trust Protocol, its 2021-22 grower members have recorded:
The Trust Protocol has also been piloting, testing, and scaling the technology solutions that record and track the movement of US Cotton and Protocol Cotton through brand and retailer member’s supply chains to their finished products. This allows for tracking cotton through complex supply chains in a way that has not been possible at scale before.
“These results are excellent, and even more so given the challenges of the past year– from increased scrutiny brought by the changing regulatory landscape, to US cotton growers faced with rising production costs and weather extremes. The past year has been one of perseverance, dedication and commitment. That has meant focusing on foundational growth and making thoughtful, innovative decisions,” said Dr. Gary Adams, president of the US Cotton Trust Protocol.
Last year, Better Cotton made plans to cut greenhouse emissions in half by 2030.
The organization also plans to develop platforms for physical traceability that will allow retailers to make better sustainability statements related to the cotton content of their products. Better Cotton says the tools will ensure long-term success of the goals, and overall it aims to improve soil health while using less water and fewer fertilizers and pesticides.
The US Department of Agriculture has also recently said it is investing $2.8 billion for 70 pilot projects that will help reach 50,000 farms engage in what it calls climate-smart production practices and sequester 50 million metric tons of carbon over the length of the projects. The projects will also provide financial and technical assistance to implement these measures on working lands, as well as use methods to monitor emissions and market sustainable products.
