[pageLogInLogOut]

#Raw Materials

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol achieves record growth, reinforcing commitment to sustainable practices and traceability

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, a leading program for responsibly grown cotton, today released its 2023/24 Annual Report, showcasing record grower participation and notable strides in environmental stewardship. The report highlights the program’s progress in driving transparency and continuous improvement across the cotton supply chain, even amidst a challenging economic climate for growers.?

“This year’s report demonstrates the unwavering commitment of U.S. cotton growers to continuous improvement, even in the face of significant challenges,” said Dr. Gary Adams, President of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “The Trust Protocol is proud to support their efforts by providing the tools, resources, and market opportunities needed to build a more resilient and sustainable future for U.S. Cotton.”? 

Key highlights from the 2023/24 Annual Report include:? 

+ Record Grower Enrollment: Planted acreage enrolled in the Trust Protocol grew to 2.1 million acres, a 31% increase from the previous year, demonstrating a strong industry commitment to responsible production.?

+ Tangible Environmental Gains: Trust Protocol growers continued to outperform national averages, achieving a 14% improvement in yield and making significant reductions in water use (14%), energy use (27%), greenhouse gas emissions (21%), and soil loss (79%) compared to a 2015 baseline.?

+ Climate Smart Cotton Program Expansion: The program, designed to help growers adopt climate-smart practices, saw growth with 1,427 U.S. farming entities enrolled, including 282 from historically underserved communities.?

+ Traceability Platform Advancements: The Trust Protocol made noteworthy progress in scaling its Protocol Consumption Management Solution (PCMS), recording 1.2k shipments of cotton fiber (equivalent to 3.4 million bales of U.S. Cotton and 636,000 bales of Protocol Cotton).?

+ Enhanced Governance and Collaboration: The Trust Protocol expanded its Board of Directors to include greater international representation and joined the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network, underscoring its commitment to global collaboration.?

“It’s not always easy to take risks when you’re a farmer, especially financial risks,” said Alyssa Cain, a Trust Protocol grower from Texas. “This program gives us the support to try new things, to build a better system for the long haul. That not only provides peace of mind but a farm with healthier soil, cleaner water, a system that works with nature, not against it.” ? 

The 2023/24 Annual Report also details the Trust Protocol’s efforts to enhance its data collection and analysis processes, expand its Climate Smart Cotton Program, and strengthen its traceability platform to meet the evolving needs of brands and retailers.? 

“This year’s report highlights both the progress our growers have made and the operational improvements within the Trust Protocol,”?said Daren Abney, Executive Director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.?“We’ve streamlined systems to make participation easier for all and introduced a new consumption-based membership model launching in 2025 to support companies of all sizes in responsible sourcing.”? 

The complete U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol 2023/24 Annual Report is available at

https://report.trustuscotton.org/.?



More News from U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

More News on Raw Materials

#Raw Materials

Textile Exchange publishes cotton Life Cycle Assessment study to strengthen impact data

Textile Exchange has published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first LCA study focuses on cotton and addresses critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.

#Raw Materials

Fashion for Good mobilises industry to adopt mass balance attribution and accelerate decarbonisation

Fashion for Good launches today the Mass Balance Demonstrator project, a collaborative industry initiative to implement and scale the mass balance attribution (MBA) chain-of-custody model for biomass-attributed PET in textile applications. The project represents a concrete step toward accelerating brand-driven decarbonisation across the apparel value chain.

#Raw Materials

The 83rd Plenary Meeting: Reports from the ICAC Secretariat

Every year, one of the most anticipated sessions at the International Cotton Advisory Committee's (ICAC) Plenary Meeting is the Reports from the Secretariat — and the 83rd edition in Bremen, Germany, did not disappoint.

#Raw Materials

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.

Latest News

#Techtextil 2026

Modernizing Needling – DiloGroup at Techtextil & INDEX 2026

With the theme “Modernizing Needling”, the DiloGroup presents a comprehensively enhanced portfolio for needling technology. The objective is to further increase the performance and application range of needlefelt production lines in terms of productivity, flexibility, and the development of new products, thereby meeting the growing demands of modern technical textiles.

#Advertorial

New Gravimax MMX-R X-ray sensor platform opens up new application fields

The demands placed on quality control in web-based production processes are increasing: materials are becoming more complex, basis weights are varying more widely, and at the same time, pressure is growing to make processes more efficient and transparent. Precise measurement data across the entire web width has therefore become a key factor in ensuring stable production processes. With its new Gravimax MMX-R sensor platform, Mahlo introduces a radiometric measurement solution designed to set new standards in determining basis weight and material composition. The platform combines advanced X-ray technology with newly developed signal processing, enabling measurement tasks that previously often required multiple sensor technologies.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Carbios confirms Longlaville plant in France following financing progress

Carbios has reaffirmed its plans to build its Longlaville plant in France within a project financing framework, targeting the start of production in the first half of 2028. The company also reports a solid cash position of around €60 million at the end of 2025 and has appointed Benoît Grenot as Deputy Chief Executive Officer to support the execution of its strategic projects.

#Composites

KARL MAYER strengthens partnerships in the composites industry at JEC World 2026

KARL MAYER further strengthened its role as a reliable and competent partner to the composites industry at JEC World 2026. The global market leader in textile machinery manufacturing used the trade show to meet key customers, establish numerous new contacts, and engage in in-depth technical discussions.

TOP