The Denim provider, Cone Denim® have recently announced their membership with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. They are among the first brands to enter into an agreement of procuring their cotton from an ethically sourced and a verifiable cotton supplier. 

Cone Denim’s participation in the U.S. Cotton Trust only proves the brand's commitment to sustainability and transparency with continued investment in a verifiable supply chain. The company has also recently announced its collaboration with Oritain, whose global technology combines forensic science and statistics to detect naturally occurring elements in the cotton itself to authenticate growth origin.

Steve Maggard, the President at Cone Denim, stated that as a leader in the global denim supply chain they are more committed than ever to promote transparency and offer assurance to their customers and brands that Cone Denim fabrics are made with the greatest of integrity starting with cotton that is sustainably grown with lower environmental impact and greater social responsibility. Steve added that the values and accountability of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol align with and complement Cone Denim’s ongoing sustainability initiatives including their pledge to the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and commitment to source 80 percent verifiably sustainable cotton by 2025.

Cone Denim claims to have utilised over 261 million pounds of U.S. grown cotton over the last five years 261 million pounds of U.S. grown cotton over the last five years across various manufacturing platforms. Steve added that the U.S. remained a key supply source for their cotton and the efforts and leadership of the Trust Protocol further increased the importance of cotton from this region in their journey as a responsible manufacturer and supply partner.

Cone Denim will be sourcing from participating growers as a member of the Trust Protocol and will be actively helping drive improvement among six key elements of sustainability including land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency.

The mills and manufacturers have enjoyed access to the Trust Protocol credit system by validated consumption of cotton and associated credit. The Protocol utilised an algorithm of a unique credit accounting system and the Permanent Bale Identification (PBI) system that allows full transparency throughout the supply chain from cotton to finished product.

Dr Gary Adams, the President at U.S Cotton Trust Protocol, stated that one of their goals was to give brands and retailers greater confidence when including U.S. cotton in their sourcing mix. He added that the Trust Protocol’s emphasis on measurement and independent verification can provide confidence and trust that verifies brands utilising responsibly grown cotton and producing a product that consumers can believe in. He stated that they were delighted that Cone Denim joined the Trust Protocol as that supports supply chain transparency and helps them in their ambition of traceability.