Luxury brand Ralph Lauren has joined the American Cotton Trust Protocol in an effort to expand sustainable practices in cotton production in the United States.
Ralph Lauren’s “Timeless by Design” is its global citizenship and sustainability strategy to ensure the company has a lasting positive impact on the planet and the communities it serves on three pillars: Create with Intention, Protect the Environment, and Achieve. a better life.
In line with Timeless by Design, the luxury brand works to improve soil health through programs that support renewable farming practices and rigorous impact measurement, believing these efforts are essential to building a resilient cotton industry in the United States. United and the world.
“Cotton accounts for more than three-quarters of our total material use, and we are committed to ensuring that these biofibers are fully sustainable sources in our portfolio by 2025,” said Katie Iwanelli, Ralph Lauren director of global impact and communications.
She added. “Our ambition requires collaboration and partnership with organizations like Trust Protocol as we work together to advance sustainable cotton goals, within our business and the industry at large.”
The Trust Protocol also drives continuous improvement in six key sustainability areas: land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency. Trust Protocol integrates these Field-to-Market Fieldprint Platform sustainability metrics, allowing registered farmers to measure the environmental impacts of their operations and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Dr. Gary Adams, President of The Cotton Trust Protocol of The United States, added: “Ralph Lauren’s determinedly timeless strategy emphasizes the importance of respecting the planet and adopting science-based practices that help protect natural resources, both fundamental pillars. of the Trust Protocol.
“The program is designed to enable improvements in soil health and better management of natural resources by supporting the transition to more sustainable and responsible technologies.”
The Trust Protocol is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, recognized by the Textile Exchange and Forum for the Future, and is part of the Sustainable Apparel Alliance, the Sustainable Cotton Challenge for Cotton 2025, the Cotton 2040 and Cotton Up initiatives. .
It was recently awarded funding through the USDA Climate-Smart Commodity Partnership pilot projects to create markets for climate-smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to more than 1,000 US cotton farmers. USA to promote the adoption of climate smart practices in more than one million. . acre. The project is a multi-stakeholder initiative that includes the Soil Health Institute, which is supported by the Ralph Lauren Corporation through the US Cotton Renewable Fund.
In early June, the US Cotton Trust Protocol completed what is being described as a rigorous and rigorous approval process to join a growing number of highly respected sustainability organizations within the ISEAL community. Since then, they have been consistently working alongside other mission-driven sustainability organizations to improve the effectiveness of their systems and demonstrate positive impact.
