Cultivating More Sustainable Cotton: Modernizing Farming Methods

Sourcing Journal Radio

Combatting climate change has become a top target for the fashion industry, but reaching carbon-cutting targets will require action across the entire supply chain.

In September 2022, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol was named the lead recipient of the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, receiving funding and recognition as part of the USDA’s Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities pilot projects to support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help brands and retailers report against Scope 3 emissions reductions for cotton used in products.

The Climate Smart Cotton Program is a five-year collaborative initiative that brings together partners from across the supply chain and provides additional benefits for growers, including technical and financial support. “The goal is really helping cotton growers improve their profitability, their operations and of course, their environmental stewardship,” said Daren Abney, executive director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.

One of the participants, Louisiana-based Hardwick Planting Company, is taking a well-rounded approach to sustainability that includes returning unproductive farmland to natural and biodiverse habitats, paring back tillage and better targeting pest and weed control. Although many of these practices are longstanding, technology is enhancing these sustainability efforts. “Advances in technology…will continue to improve our ability to save inputs, be more precise; that really goes a long way,” said Mead Hardwick, partner at Hardwick Planting Company.

Here, Abney, Hardwick and Sourcing Journal's sourcing and labor editor Jasmin Malik Chua discuss what the Climate Smart Cotton Program entails and how carbon-cutting measures are being rolled out at the farm level.

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