The National Cotton Council has initiated a pilot of the US Cotton Trust Protocol, a program designed to confirm and increase awareness of the fact that US cotton producers are farming responsibly and striving for continuous improvement. The Protocol is being managed by Ken Burton, Executive Director. A multi-stakeholder board of directors will be appointed in the coming weeks in preparation for the full implementation of the by 2020. In the interim, the NCC will enroll US cotton producers in the pilot phase. Groups, organisations and firms such as gins, merchants, and marketing cooperatives are being enlisted to assist in recruiting producer participants and in verification of information obtained through the Protocol. The confidential information collected will be reviewed continually and participating producers will be able to monitor their sustainability progress – including comparing numbers with those for their geographic region and/or the entire U.S. Cotton Belt.

The Protocol was developed to help the US cotton production sector reduce its environmental footprint via specific sustainability goals targeted for 2025: a 13 per cent increase in productivity; an 18 per cent increase in irrigation efficiency; a 39 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; a 15 per cent reduction in energy expenditures; a 50 per cent reduction in soil loss; and a 30 per cent increase in soil carbon.