Walmart has joined the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, marking an important moment for the retail industry in scaling the impact of sustainable cotton sourcing.
Walmart’s membership reinforces the company’s focus on regeneration and transparency in its supply chain. The retailer joins other members including Amazon, Macy’s Inc., Levi’s and URBN.
Access to verified data
As a member of the Trust Protocol, Walmart will gain access to aggregated, verifiable data on sustainability practices from U.S. cotton growers. The company will also have the ability to track the movement of U.S. Cotton and Protocol Cotton through its supply chain.
The membership aligns with Walmart’s ambition to source more sustainable cotton and its broader goal to help more sustainably manage, protect or restore at least 50 million acres of land and 1 million square miles of ocean by 2030.
Jerome Del Porto, head of corporate sustainability at Walmart, said the move reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible production.
“At Walmart, we are committed to providing our customers with quality products that are not only affordable but also produced in a way that is responsible and sustainable,” Del Porto said. “Joining the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is another step in our journey to continue driving meaningful change within our own supply chain and the industry at large.”
How the program works
Established in 2020, the Trust Protocol is the voluntary, science-based sustainability program and traceability platform for U.S. cotton. It provides quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement.
The program collects field-level data across six key sustainability metrics — land use, soil health, water management, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and fiber quality. The data is aggregated and then verified by an independent third party.
By underpinning U.S. cotton’s sustainability progress with sophisticated data collection and offering full supply chain transparency through its traceability platform, the Trust Protocol provides brands and retailers the assurances they need to source more sustainably grown cotton.
Expanding industry reach
Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, welcomed Walmart’s addition to the program and said the retailer’s scale will help advance the program’s broader mission.
“We welcome Walmart to the Trust Protocol, recognizing the reach and influence their membership will extend in advancing sustainable cotton sourcing practices,” Adams said. “This collaboration directly strengthens our mission to drive continuous improvement and foster greater transparency in the supply chain.”
About the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is the voluntary sustainability program for U.S. cotton growers and a traceability platform for all U.S. cotton. It brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurements to the issue of responsible cotton production and drives continuous improvement in six key sustainability areas: land use efficiency, water use efficiency, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, soil conservation and soil carbon.
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