Last July, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol named Daren Abney as executive director. Abney is a sustainability veteran who brings 15 years of international experience from organizations such as Better Cotton, Textile Exchange and, most recently, Lenzing Group.
In his new role, Abney will guide the organization’s strategic vision and the operation of the Trust Protocol. Here, Abney discusses his experience, the challenges facing the industry and the role of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol in addressing these issues.
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Fairchild Studio: Tell us a little about your sustainability experience. What were some of the initiatives you worked on?
Daren Abney: I’ve had the privilege of working in the textile sustainability industry for 15 years, and my journey has been fulfilling. I was appointed executive director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol in July of this year. The Trust Protocol is a voluntary, farm-level, science-based sustainability program setting a new standard for delivering value to all stakeholders across the supply chain, from farms to finished products.
My role is to guide the strategic vision and operation of the Trust Protocol with a focus on supporting U.S. cotton growers in combating climate change through evolving agricultural innovation. I’ve worked heavily with textile brands and retailers in their drive to deliver more sustainably produced garments, nongovernmental organizations and other sustainability initiatives to determine areas of potential collaboration.
Before the Trust Protocol, I worked with Lenzing Fibers, Better Cotton and Textile Exchange. My work at these organizations centered on business strategy development and implementation, stakeholder management, growing brand awareness, raw material sourcing and improving internal organizational structures.
My work experience aligns with the goals of my role as executive director to increase sustainability in the cotton and textile sectors, foster collaboration among key industry players and strive for continuous improvement and innovation.
Fairchild Studio: From a climate change perspective, what challenges do farmers and other industry stakeholders face?
D.A.: Throughout the 17 cotton-producing states in the U.S., there are a variety of climates, temperature patterns, soils and topography that mean there are no universal production techniques — making growing this natural crop a challenge. Excessive heat, for example, can lead to heat stress in cotton plants. Disrupted precipitation patterns can cause water scarcity or waterlogging, both of which are harmful to crops. These mean that growing practices vary dramatically by region, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sustainable and responsible agricultural techniques. Trust Protocol growers make decisions based on their own operations but understand that they can learn from their peers to continually improve their environmental footprint.
Climate change, including changing weather patterns, also affects brands and retailers that source cotton and could pose a risk to supply chains. Sourcing cotton more sustainably can help the fashion and textile industries improve their environmental footprint. Additionally, the environmental and social impact of these companies have been under increased scrutiny in recent years. This has prompted many consumers to rethink their purchasing habits and legislators to help curb the industry’s impacts. This has spurred brands and retailers to become more transparent, backing sustainability claims with data, and improving the effects of their supply chains.
Fairchild Studio: What role does the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol play in addressing these challenges?
D.A.: The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is the only system that provides quantifiable, verifiable goals and measurements in six key sustainability metrics: water use, energy efficiency, land use efficiency, soil health, soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the world’s first sustainable cotton fiber program to offer article-level supply chain transparency to all members. The program provides verified farm-level aggregated data that Protocol growers can use to benchmark their progress and identify areas of improvement for more sustainable cotton production.
Trust Protocol membership also benefits brands and retailers by providing them with a traceability solution to track the progress of raw materials — in this case, cotton — throughout the supply chain. Protocol Cotton is grown and harvested on Protocol growers’ farms and recorded in the Protocol Consumption Management Solution, or PCMS, which tracks the cotton through each stage of the supply chain to ensure transparency and accountability. By consuming and tracking Protocol Cotton, brand and retailers are provided full sourcing confidence that their fiber was grown and harvested by Protocol growers who are committed to sustainability and continuous improvement against six key metrics measured by the program, as well as meeting all social requirements.
For brands and retailers, this fiber choice also provides them with the ability to associate proportionate environmental data in marketing claims and on-product labels. This is crucial as the fashion and textile industry’s environmental impact is under increasing scrutiny, prompting mounting pressures from consumers and legislators alike to be more transparent and traceable.
To learn more about the US Cotton Trust Protocol, CLICK HERE.