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U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Holds Virtual Farm Tour 

During December 2021, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol held a successful second Virtual Farm Tour, “Digging Deeper into the Trust Protocol,” an in-depth tour of U.S. cotton to showcase the benefits of joining the Trust Protocol. Building off the successful tour in 2020, the program focused on giving participating members a deeper dive into the Trust Protocol’s key sustainability metrics, best practices and the importance of transparency for brands, retailers, governments and consumers. Over 300 participants from major international brands and retailers attended. The tour gave attendees an advantage in the sustainability supply chain game.

Before the tour, attendees took a unique immersive trip into the Trust Protocol through a live “exploration” page. The experience included educational animations on each of the Trust Protocol sustainability metrics, a map showing where U.S. cotton is grown and highlighting grower members in each state.

As part of the Virtual Farm Tour, U.S. cotton growers demonstrated how joining the Trust Protocol helped them meet the changing demands from their end customers in regards to sustainable practices, with the Trust Protocol having a pulse on the current and future sustainability landscape. The six grower members discussed how the program allows them to better document and verify the sustainability practices and advances already incorporated into their farms, and also highlighted their commitment to worker well-being.

Additionally, the event included presentations from well-respected academic experts on topics such as carbon sequestration and regenerative agriculture. Attendees were then taken through the entire supply chain – from gin to mill to manufacturer – in a series of videos.

During the tour, attendees heard from representatives, including Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, Tara Luckman, advisor, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and Garry Bell, advisor, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol in one of two live Q&A sessions. Top brands and retailers including Lacoste, Sainsburys, Target and Adidas participated the post-session Q&As.

Over two days, attendees learned how cotton is grown from seed to boll and followed the natural fiber from the fields of states like Texas, Louisiana, Arizona and Tennessee, to the shirts that line shelves in stores across the world. The successful event provided participating brands and retailers the exclusive opportunity to hear from cotton producers, leading experts and understand how the Trust Protocol can help them confidently source more U.S. cotton, while staying abreast on the future of sustainability.

Learn more about joining the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and its upcoming events at trustuscotton.org.

Fill out a form to contact a local Cotton Council International (CCI) representative at cottonusa.org/trust-protocol.