With an aim to double the use of cotton acquired through the Sustainable cotton programme by 2019, the global denim manufacturer, Wrangler has joined Cotton LEADS programme to promote soil health practises as a new member for improving sustainability in the industry.
The brand has joined more than 540 programme partners supporting continual improvement by cotton growers in the United States and Australia. Most recently, Wrangler has published ‘Seeding Soil’s Potential’. This overview of 45 scientific reports definitively concludes that the practices of conservation tillage, cover crops and crop rotation result in greater crop resiliency and productivity, among a host of other benefits to the grower and the land.
In building Wrangler’s programme for sustainable US cotton, the important step is to join Cotton LEADS as it has a deep research on productivity within the industry, and the brand is particularly interested in the programme’s attention to soil health, Roian Atwood, Wrangler sustainability director said.
Founding members of Cotton LEADS, The National Cotton Council of America and Cotton Incorporated has advised in the development of industrywide goals for 2025 to maintain or improve US cotton productivity levels, while decreasing soil loss by 50 per cent and increasing soil carbon by 30 per cent. Other goals include decreasing land use by 13 per cent, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent, decreasing energy inputs by 15 per cent, and increasing water efficiency by 18 per cent.
Kater Hake, vice president for agricultural and environmental research at Cotton Incorporated said, “Measurement and science are the fundamental elements of the continual improvement efforts of the Cotton LEADS programme. We want to help cotton growers evaluate and measure the conservation needs and benefits of their agricultural lands. Wrangler shares this goal, and the brand’s strong reputation among growers will undoubtedly help in raising awareness for this important work.”
– Apparel and Textile News, Apparel Talk, Indian Apparel
