US Cotton Trust Protocol

A coalition including Better Cotton, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Australia, and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has issued new guidance on responsible life-cycle assessment use. The publication From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right calls for LCAs to be applied alongside verified field data to deliver credible, transparent, and farmer-informed sustainability progress.

The US Cotton Trust Protocol has introduced a Field Partner Programme pilot designed to provide brands and retailers with traceable regenerative cotton. Beginning with the 2025 crop year, the initiative establishes a framework combining practices and outcomes, supporting sustainability goals, while creating clear supply chain pathways. It aligns with the Trust Protocol’s wider commitments to verification, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Enrollments are open for US farmers to join the voluntary, science-based sustainability programme  — Cotton Trust Protocol — that will help them adopt and implement sustainable practices that benefit both their operations and the environment.

The US Cotton Trust Protocol has launched a five-year project which seeks to measure and improve the carbon footprint of the US cotton industry.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected the US Cotton Trust Protocol to lead the US Climate Smart Cotton Program with a funding ceiling of $90 million. This will be one of the 70 projects selected under the first pool of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity.