Enrollment is now open for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol for the 2021 cotton crop. The Protocol establishes a new sustainability standard for cotton production as consumers demand more transparency in the supply chain. U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol board member, Ted Schneider said that the process for enrolling in the program is simple and well worth the effort.
“It’s easy, it only takes a few steps. You would visit our website TrustUSCotton.org and you would register your operation. There’s a self-assessment that you have to complete,” Schneider explained. “At the end of the year, or as your year goes along you enter your practices in the Field to Market. It all probably takes about two hours during the course of the year.”
For industry members who already belong to the Protocol, a re-enrollment will be necessary in order to receive year-over-year data. Schneider said that program wasn’t designed to be a burden for producers, but rather help U.S. cotton to remain attractive to retailers and ensure the viability of the industry for growers.
“The use of the self-assessment and the use of Field to Market will create data and statistics that will prove to our industry members that we are actually very sustainable,” said Schneider. “We feel like we’re the most sustainable cotton grown in the world.”
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