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Posted: December 3, 2025
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has released a five-year report showing verified improvements in land use, water efficiency, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions. The findings give brands and retailers reliable field-level data at a time when supply chain reporting rules are expanding and transparency is becoming essential across the cotton industry.
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has released its 2024 to 2025 Annual Report, which provides a detailed look at five years of verified progress in sustainable cotton production. As brands face increasing expectations to report accurate supply chain data, the Trust Protocol stands out as the first sustainable cotton fiber program to deliver a fully verified dataset at this scale. The report shows that more than 1,500 participating growers have made measurable environmental gains, giving companies the credible information they need to support their goals related to sustainable cotton data.
The findings show that growers have already met or exceeded most of the program’s 2025 targets by improving efficiency, strengthening soil health and reducing environmental impacts. Compared to a 2015 baseline, growers improved land use efficiency by 15 percent and reduced irrigation water needs by 47 percent while maintaining production levels. Energy use dropped by 28 percent and soil loss declined by 89 percent, keeping erosion below USDA thresholds. Growers also achieved a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through improved nitrogen management and smarter irrigation technologies. These results were achieved while producing 20 percent more cotton per acre than the national average, showing that strong yields and sustainability can work together.
The report also reflects how valuable verified field-level data has become under new global reporting requirements such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. The Trust Protocol provides companies with information they can use to track Scope 3 emissions, validate Science Based Targets and make claims supported by evidence. Participation continues to grow, with a 413 percent increase in traceability adoption and more than 690 million finished products made with Protocol fiber in the latest season. Partnerships with groups such as ISEAL, Textile Exchange and Field to Market help strengthen data integrity while growers expand their use of regenerative practices, including cover crops and conservation tillage. The Trust Protocol is also testing a new pilot to trace regenerative practices and outcomes with plans for wider rollout by 2026. These efforts support the growing industry demand for reliable sustainable cotton data.
