The US Cotton Trust Protocol has been approved as a standard for sustainable cotton by Siegelklarheit, a German Federal Government initiative. Siegelklarheit wants to contribute to more sustainable shopping decisions by assisting customers in better understanding environmental and social labeling. The US Cotton Trust Protocol passed Siegelklarheit's evaluation procedure. As a consequence, members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST) may now quantify their percentage of sustainable cotton using the Trust Protocol.

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles was established in October 2014 with the goal of improving social and environmental conditions in global textile supply chains. The Textiles Partnership bases its work on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance as well as international treaties and rules that establish the concepts of social, environmental, and economic sustainability, as well as the foundation for corporate responsibility.

Jürgen Janssen, head of the PST secretariat, said that members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles collaborate to achieve significant social and environmental gains in their worldwide supply chains. This also covers raw material production, and hence cotton farming and processing. The Textiles Partnership advocates for transparent and traceable standards in sustainable cotton certification. They’re delighted that the Trust Protocol passed the Siegelklarheit audit.

The PST has created a corporate due diligence implementation framework and reporting format. PST member firms additionally declare how much cotton they source and how much of it is sustainable or organic cotton certified by accepted criteria in the framework of this format. These include the Better Cotton standard, the Australian myBMP standard, Cotton Made in Africa, Fairtrade Cotton, and CottonConnect, in addition to the US Cotton Trust Protocol. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the International Association of Natural Textile Industry (NATURTEXTIL IVN) standard, the Textile Exchange Organic Content Standard (OCS), the bioRe Social & Environmental Standard, and all organic standards in the IFOAM Family of Standards apply to purchase organic cotton.

The Trust Protocol is the only approach that sets measurable, verifiable targets and measures progress in six important sustainability metrics: land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy efficiency. The Protocol Consumption Management Solution, is also the world's first sustainable cotton fiber to offer its members article-level supply chain transparency.

Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, said that they’re thrilled to have been recognized as a sustainable cotton standard by the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, and are proud to have passed Siegelklarheit’s rigorous assessment. The Trust Protocol's vision is to establish a new standard in sustainable cotton production in which full transparency is a reality and continuous improvement to lower their environmental impact is the primary goal. They pledge to maintain and preserve the earth by employing the most sustainable and responsible methods.

The United States Cotton Trust Protocol is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, is recognized by Textile Exchange and Forum for the Future, and is a component of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cotton 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge, Cotton 2040, and Cotton Up initiatives. It has also been acknowledged and included in the ITC Standards Map.