U.S. cotton growers and the brands they supply are navigating a complex landscape of increasing demands from unpredictable weather and evolving economic pressures to rising stakeholder expectations for responsible and traceable products. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol supports a more resilient supply chain by empowering all aspects of the supply chain from growers to brands to thrive and meet today’s challenges.
As the voluntary, field-level sustainability program and traceability platform for U.S. Cotton, the Trust Protocol provides the data, resources, and traceability they need to succeed. Growers gain data-driven insights to improve their environmental footprint, while brands gain verifiable data and robust traceability to meet consumer expectations and build trust.
The Trust Protocol guides its work for members with three key pillars:
Supply Chain Traceability:
Transparency is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a need-to-have in today’s operating environment. The Trust Protocol is the first cotton fiber program to offer article-level traceability, enabling our members to follow the journey of U.S. Cotton and Protocol Cotton to finished product, building trust and enhancing brand reputation.
U.S. Cotton
U.S. Cotton
Choosing U.S. Cotton means choosing a source that can be trusted, backed by a commitment to excellence.
Protocol Cotton
Protocol Cotton
This also facilitates more robust stakeholder communication, including on-product marketing, allowing brands and retailers to share their commitment to responsible sourcing with greater confidence.
Environmental Data:
We go beyond simple claims. The Trust Protocol is the only program to offer quantifiable goals and measurement across six key environmental metrics. This data helps with informed decision-making as well as supporting corporate reporting and responsible brand and product marketing.
Continuous Improvement:
We recognize that this is an ever-evolving mission, and one that should be seen as a journey, not a destination. We know this because U.S. Cotton production has made remarkable strides over the past 35 years. Protocol growers receive actionable insights to understand their farm’s footprint, help optimize operations, improve overall efficiency, and continue to demonstrate their commitment to responsible practices through measurement and verification.
Progress
Trust Protocol growers have met or exceeded 5 out of 6 of the ambitious 2025 National Goals set against the 2015 baseline.
In our 2024/25 Annual Report we saw:
Partnerships and Collaboration
The Trust Protocol believes in the power of collaboration to drive improvements across the supply chain. We focus on building partnerships and contributing our expertise to several initiatives.
News & Events
A collective of news and updates, expert insights, upcoming events and our latest reports.
Get to Know Our Growers
Get to Know Our Growers
Member Spotlight
Meet some of our members.
