By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission reminds growers that the deadline to enroll in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol for 2022 is Friday, March 31.
Tillman White, program operations manager for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, discussed the benefits of why producers should participate in the program.
“The deadline for 2022 enrollment is coming pretty fast. You can still get into the protocol and enroll. If they’re new, there’s still time to research about the program and join with plenty of time to register,” White said. “But even guys that have been enrolled in the past, there’s still plenty of time to go in there and enroll and even have time to upload bales within the platform.”
Protocol Background
Since the Trust Protocol’s launch in 2020, the program has welcomed more than 1,200 brand, retailer, mill and manufacturer members, including Levi Strauss & Co., Old Navy, Gap and J.Crew. It drives constant improvement in six key sustainability metrics – land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency. It is the first program that provides access to supply chain transparency and science-based field-level, verified data.
White said, “It was launched back in 2020, so it’s still a fairly new program. The program was designed to set a new standard in more sustainably grown cotton for the U.S. industry. We wanted to create a program that ensured market access for U.S. growers by capturing what producers are already doing and ensuring they’re not missing out in the marketplace.
“There’s opportunity for this upcoming year, 2023, where the Trust Protocol received some funding from the USDA on a climate smart project where there will be some financial and technical assistance for producers who enroll in the protocol. We’re still ironing out the details with the USDA, but for 2023 there will also be some incentives there for producers, not only enrolling in the protocol but also looking to adopt some climate-smart practices.”
Visit TrustUSCotton.org to learn more about the Trust Protocol.