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cials say that it’s a collective goal; not all farms able practices under the organization’s Better
are expected to zero out their emissions. Cotton Standard System.
The Green Deal and rising demand from textile The Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers,
and apparel companies around the globe for sus- or ABRAPA, became a BCI partner in 2010
tainably sourced products is also spurring cotton and by 2014, the group succeeded in complet-
farmers from Texas to Brazil’s Mato Grosso to ing a sustainable verification program that BCI
adopt a wide array of environmental standards accepted as equivalent to its own.
that can be measured and verified.
Last year, several hundred Brazilian farms
The U.S. cotton sector kicked off its U.S. Trust produced cotton under the BCI program on
Protocol this summer, challenging farmers to 2.8 million acres, according to the organization.
over the next five years to reduce land use by Brazilian farmers planted about 4.1 million
13%, decrease soil carbon release by 30%, acres of cotton in 2019.
reduce soil loss by 50%, reduce greenhouse gas But the National Cotton Council is expecting its
emissions by 39% and reduce energy consump- sustainability program will give U.S. farmers an
tion by 15%.
edge over foreign competitors, Walker said.
After a pilot program, the Protocol launched “Because the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol will
on Sept. 22 and 500 farmers have already collect quantifiable data on farming practices
signed up. Feb. 28 is the end of the first and the associated environmental footprint,
wave of the 2020 enrollment campaign we believe the program provides the textile
and the National Cotton Council’s Marjory supply chain with information not available
Walker says the goal is to sign up between 750 for other countries,” she noted. “As major
and 1,000 producers. brands and retailers set targets for sustainable
By 2025, the cotton council hopes to get at sourcing, we believe the U.S. Cotton Trust
least half of the roughly 16,000 U.S. cotton Protocol will help ensure that U.S. cotton has
farmers to join. access to those markets.”
“Consumers want more transparency when it Another sector where U.S. and South American
comes to the products they purchase and the producers compete is in beef, and Matlock
European Union is threatening brands and of the University of Arkansas thinks that
retailers with stricter regulations when it comes the deforestation, grassland conversion and
to sustainability reporting and the responsible destruction of wildlife habitat in Brazil and
sourcing of raw materials,” says Gary Adams, Argentina should give American ranchers an
president and CEO of the National Cotton edge in export markets. The industry-based U.S.
Council. “These evolving dynamics prompted Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is trying to
the creation of a new sustainability standard document how the American industry lines up
for cotton and the launching of the U.S. Cotton with the Green Deal goals on key performance
Trust Protocol.” indicators, he said.
Outside the U.S., the Geneva-based Better The science shows Europeans should “buy beef
Cotton Initiative (BCI), is leading the interna- from the United States rather than from Brazil,”
tional effort by textile and apparel companies where much of its cattle are grazed in the south-
to incentivize farmers in Brazil, China, India, western part of country “on the edge of forest
Egypt, Australia, Turkey, South Africa, Pakistan or in the middle of recently burned down forest
and elsewhere to commit to verifiable sustain- or converted grasslands,” said Matlock.

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