US Cotton Trust Protocol approved as standard for sustainable cotton

The US Cotton Trust Protocol has announced it has been approved as a standard for sustainable cotton by an initiative of the German Federal Government, Siegelklarheit.

The approval means that members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST) can use Trust Protocol as a standard to calculate their share of sustainable cotton.

Siegelklarheit aims to help consumers make more sustainable decisions by putting companies through an assessment process.

“Members of the PST work together to achieve substantial social and ecological improvements in their global supply chains,” said Jürgen Janssen, head of the PST secretariat, in a release.

Janssen continued: “This also includes the production of raw materials and thus the cultivation and processing of cotton. In the Textiles Partnership, we advocate for transparent and traceable criteria in the certification of sustainable cotton. We are pleased that the Trust Protocol has successfully passed the audit by Siegelklarheit.”

The PST, which utilises an implementation framework and reporting format requiring members to indicate the level of sustainable and organic cotton used, can now look towards Trust Protocol, as well as other standards such as Better Cotton, Fairtrade Cotton and CottonConnect.

Speaking on the organisation’s work, Trust Protocol president, Gary Adams, said: “The Trust Protocol’s vision is to set a new standard in sustainable cotton production where full transparency is a reality and continuous improvement to reduce our environmental footprint is the central goal. We commit to ensuring the protection and preservation of the planet, using the most sustainable and responsible techniques.”