The U.S. cotton industry’s voluntary sustainability program has achieved significant success in just five years, according to an update from the National Cotton Council at recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Marjory Walker, Vice President of Council Operations, says the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has grown rapidly since it launched in July 2020. “We actually have 2,500 global members representing 25 brands in 26 countries,” said . “We have 2,800 mills and manufacturers. We’ve had a 14% increase in our grower enrollment. We encompass 2.58 million acres. So that is quite an accomplishment for a little five-year-old program.”

The program released its 2024/25 Annual Report in November showed how grower members have achieved meaningful gains across all six of its sustainability metrics against a 2015 baseline.

Walker says the program is voluntary for growers looking for a way to enhance their revenue and it’s also a supply chain traceability program for brands. “Brands and retailers are looking for a way to deal with EU legislation and U.S. legislation like the Forced Labor Act. So if you trace your cotton through the supply chain through the trust protocol, then you have a no-risk situation. Basically, if you source U.S. cotton, it’s no risk.”

Learn more in this interview:
Marjory Walker, Cotton Trust Protocol - interview 3:44

2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album