US cotton industry sets sustainable production goals

The US cotton industry wants to become more sustainable. The company founded by an association of American cotton growers has set six sustainable goals that target areas for each pound of cotton. The goals are set to be implemented over the next decade.

The first one is to increase soil carbon by 30%, reducing tillage and using cover crops. The second goal is to increase land-use efficiency by 13%, to fight the lack of new available land. The third goal is to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 39% using new methods to lower levels through Nitrogen use.

The fourth sustainable goal set by the association is to decrease soil loss per acre by 50%. The fifth goal is to decrease water use by 15% and improve yields and crops without increasing water use. The sixth and final goals is to decrease energy use by 15%.

“These goals aren’t arbitrary numbers, they are real and realistic, we can continue to set the standard of quality cotton production worldwide by defining, implementing and measuring our efforts,” stated the company in a press release.