HUGO BOSS Becomes Cotton LEADS Partner

SYDNEY, NSW. – Global luxury fashion house HUGO BOSS is the latest of more than 460 partners from across the global supply chain to join the Cotton LEADS™ program, in a show of support for the sustainability credentials of Australian and U.S. cotton.

The Cotton LEADS™ program aims to influence cotton supply chain strategies by raising awareness of characteristics common to the Australian and U.S. cotton industries: responsible production practices; strict regulations that protect the environment and people, the ability to affect positive change nationally, nation-wide cotton research and development programs and sustainability benchmarking.

The German-headquartered HUGO BOSS group includes the BOSS and HUGO brands. In welcoming HUGO BOSS to the Cotton LEADS™ program, Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says that increasingly, “brands and retailers are demonstrating a genuine desire to deliver products made from responsibly-produced raw materials.”

“The interest in sustainable cotton in the world textile market continues to grow at an ever-increasing pace, and the Cotton LEADS™ program is one of many great programs delivering assurances to brands about their use of responsible cotton.”

“HUGO BOSS joins a growing number of Cotton LEADS™ partners that recognize cotton growers in Australia and the U.S. have a strong track record of positive continuous improvement, operate in robust regulatory environments that set rigorous social and environmental standards, and have national plans for ongoing gains,” Mr Kay says.

Cotton Incorporated Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing, Mark Messura, says that “just as HUGO BOSS is a leading global fashion brand, the Cotton LEADS™ program leads the way in both responsible cotton production, and the sharing of best practices and other educational resources with the global cotton community.”

HUGO BOSS, Head of Sustainability and Logistics, Heinz Zeller, says “cotton is one of the most important raw materials for the high quality products of HUGO BOSS. The Cotton LEADS™ program enables HUGO BOSS to source sustainable cotton matching high quality standards with a guaranteed availability.