At a time when sustainability and transparency are at the forefront of consumers’ minds, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol becomes an even more important initiative. Hill + Knowlton Strategies is the international firm representing the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. Global Chief Business Development Officer, Sam Lythgoe noted that the new standard for U.S. cotton production comes at an important time.
“Brands are paying attention because consumers are now actively making consumption and purchase choices around the brands that are making those decisions,” Lythgoe explained. “For U.S. cotton to continue to be the preferred cotton, we need to do a better job of telling the sustainability credentials of how we grow. The protocol provides a measurable way to do that, so the brands and retailers can use themselves to help tell their story.”
The protocol provides a means for cotton producers to measure their progress in working towards increased sustainability. The initiative not only helps U.S. cotton to be more attractive to international buys, it also encourages growers to implement practices to help improve production. “The farmers, the growers, they will be able to continuously improve how they are farming their land. For better yields, for better protection of the soil, for all of those things that are important to them as their livelihood,” Lythgoe noted.
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