Sustainably sourced cotton

Leading
Progress

Dedicated to sustainable cotton production

Our program supports sustainable cotton production practices that are good for growers, businesses, communities, consumers – and, of course, our world. We believe in not only doing the right thing – but always improving how we do it.

These are the on-farm improvements, the science and the systems that Cotton LEADSSM partners support. This is how – together – we lead the world in sustainable cotton production.

Industry Goals

The Australian and U.S. cotton industries – the joint founders of the Cotton LEADS program – have long led the world in best practices, research and innovation when it comes to sustainably sourced cotton. Each country has developed sustainability goals and objectives to guide continuous, national-scale improvement over time.

United States

Improvements in six tactical level targets over the next decade will push the industry to innovate and stay at the forefront of changing technologies and continuing environmental challenges.

Learn about our 10-year U.S. industry goals
Australia

Through a process of whole-of-industry environmental auditing, the Australian cotton industry has been setting and achieving sustainability goals for over 30 years. The industry is currently producing a set of specific industry-wide sustainability targets to focus effort over the next decade. These align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and include water, biodiversity, carbon footprint and social targets.

Read our Third Environmental Assessment Report
Sustainably Sourced Cotton - Cotton Sustainable Production Machinery

Environmental Impact Areas

The Cotton LEADS program promotes and measures efforts to address the environmental impacts of sustainable cotton production.

Accountability Down the Chain

Our program is grounded in the belief that national efforts create large-scale opportunities for sustainable cotton production. That’s the Cotton LEADS difference. We promote and measure national improvements through on-farm practices and industry-wide oversight and R&D investment. This provides accountability and assurance that you are using sustainably sourced cotton.