U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol enrollment for the 2023 crop year opened this week with an updated deadline of September 1.

“With the Trust Protocol all of our work begins with growers and as we look to continuously improve the program and provide further value, we’re pleased to share the updated grower enrollment timing will better align with peak cotton marketing dates,” said Gary Adams, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol president, in a recent release. 

“Knowing that more than half of the U.S. cotton crop is marketed within a critical three-month window, beginning at the height of ginning in November, the transition will allow members’ cotton to be verified as Protocol Cotton on their initial Electronic Warehouse Receipt. This means a grower member’s cotton can also be marketed as Protocol Cotton right after ginning and visible sooner for brands and retailers looking to source that fiber.”

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a voluntary, farm-level science-based sustainability program that is setting a standard for delivering value to stakeholders across the supply chain from farms to finished products. The program’s mission is to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to the key sustainability metrics of U.S. cotton production.

Growers are encouraged to begin data entry as soon as possible as enrollment will only be open for four months rather than 12. The enrollment process remains the same, say Trust Protocol officials. 

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Beginning in 2024, the grower enrollment window will begin in January and end prior to planting on May 1. Those interested in participating in the Climate Smart Cotton Program are encouraged to watch for U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol communications once the grant is finalized.

To complete enrollment and data entry for the 2023 crop year by the September 1 deadline, visit TrustUSCotton.org. For enrollment assistance, contact [email protected].

To date, the Trust Protocol has welcomed more than 1,200 brand, retailer, mill and manufacturer members, including Levi Strauss & Co., Old Navy, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., and J.Crew. The program is overseen by a multi-stakeholder board of directors comprised of representatives from brands and retailers, civil society and independent sustainability experts as well as the cotton-growing industry, including growers, ginners, merchants, wholesalers and cooperatives, mills and cottonseed handlers.