An initiative of the German Federal Government, Siegelklarheit has approved the US Cotton Trust Protocol as a standard for sustainable cotton. Siegelklarheit aims to contribute to more sustainable purchasing decisions by helping consumers better understand environmental and social labels. US Cotton Trust Protocol had to grow through Siegelklarheit´s assessment system in order to be used by the members of Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST).
Founded in October 2014, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles aims to improve social and ecological conditions within global textile supply chains. The Textiles Partnership orientates its work on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and on international agreements and guidelines that define the principles of social, environmental, and economic sustainability and the framework for corporate responsibility.
The PST has developed an implementation framework and reporting format for corporate due diligence. In the context of this format PST member companies also indicate how much cotton they source and how much of it is sustainable or organic cotton, certified by recognized standards. Besides U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, these include Better Cotton standard, the Australian myBMP standard, Cotton made in Africa, Fairtrade Cotton and CottonConnect.
