U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol joins as an ISEAL Community Member

ISEAL is pleased to announce that the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has recently been approved as an ISEAL Community Member. We are excited to be able to bring their knowledge and experience of the U.S. cotton industry to the ISEAL community, and to learn more about how their assurance system supports outcome-based claims.

ISEAL members are sustainability systems and accreditation bodies dedicated to delivering benefits for people and planet. They are committed to continually improving their systems and impacts through learning and innovation; collaborating with stakeholders and peers; and are transparent and truthful about how their systems work and how they measure their impacts.

In becoming an ISEAL Community Member, the Trust Protocol joins a growing number of well-respected sustainability systems that are driving positive social and environmental change across multiple sectors. The Trust Protocol will be working alongside these mission-driven sustainability organisations to continuously improve the effectiveness of their systems and demonstrate impact.

Further to the approval from the ISEAL Board on the 6 May 2022, ISEAL’s Executive Director, Karin Kreider, commented, “I’m very happy to congratulate the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol on becoming an ISEAL Community Member. The Trust Protocol supports cotton producers to develop bespoke management plans aimed at improving their sustainability, and innovative use of data and metrics supports measurement of success over time. We are excited to have a fresh perspective in the ISEAL learning community, and to have another member working to improve sustainability outcomes in the cotton sector.”

“We are proud that the Trust Protocol was accepted as an ISEAL Community Member understanding the rigorous process and governance ISEAL adheres to,” said Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “ISEAL Community Membership provides the Trust Protocol the continued opportunity to set a new standard in more sustainable cotton production where full transparency is a reality and continuous improvement to reduce our environmental footprint is the central goal.”

We encourage any organisation developing or operating a sustainability system with a multi-stakeholder approach and a commitment to credible practices to consider joining ISEAL. 

Find out more on our membership page.

About the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

Launched in 2020, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol was designed to set a new standard in more sustainably grown cotton, ensuring that it contributes to the protection and preservation of the planet, using the most sustainable and responsible techniques. It is the only farm level, science-based program that provides quantifiable, verifiable goals and measurement in six key sustainability metrics as well as article-level supply chain transparency.  

The Trust Protocol is overseen by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors comprised of representatives from brands and retailers, civil society and independent sustainability experts as well as the cotton-growing industry, including growers, ginners, merchants, wholesalers and cooperatives, mills and cottonseed handlers.

For more information, go to trustuscotton.org.