#Raw Materials

2024-11-01

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/.?

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.

ECCO introduces first shoe featuring innovative protein-based fibre

ECCO, in partnership with Spinnova, announces the launch of the limited edition ECCO BIOM® 720, a first-of-its-kind shoe utilising an often overlooked leather by-product, transformed into a protein-based fibre. The fibres are produced using patented technology that advances material innovation while reducing waste and supporting full resource use across the leather and textile industry.

Monforts sees growing potential for technical textiles in Türkiye

For many years now, Türkiye has been one of the most important markets for textile finishing, coating and continuous dyeing equipment, making ITM 2026 from June 9-13 a key event for Germany’s Monforts. At the Istanbul exhibition at stand 1117D in Hall 11, the company will put the emphasis on its machines which continue to lead the field in conventional dyeing and finishing, and also highlight the strong opportunities for Turkish textile manufacturers in the growing field of technical textiles.

SOKO presents low-impact denim finishing innovations at Denim PV Milan

SOKO will present a range of sustainable denim finishing technologies and collaborative projects at the upcoming Denim Première Vision Milan on 20–21 May in Milan. At booth G27 in Superstudio Più, the company will showcase new chemical solutions designed to combine fashionable denim effects with reduced environmental impact.

Kornit Digital announces commercial availability of Atlas MATRIX following successful global Beta program

Kornit Digital (NASDAQ: KRNT, "Kornit Digital", "Kornit", or the "Company"), a global leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, today announced the commercial availability of the Atlas MATRIX platform following the successful completion of a global beta program across leading production environments in Europe and North America. The announcement, made ahead of FESPA 2026 in Barcelona, marks a major milestone in the evolution of digital apparel production.