Advance Denim, one of the top three denim manufacturers in China, has officially become a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol as it continues to advance use of more sustainable denim worldwide.

Advance Denim’s membership marks a significant step in the company’s ambitious sustainability program, which employs advanced technology and innovation to minimize the manufacturer’s environmental impact. They joined the Trust Protocol to help ensure that their brand and retailer customers have transparency throughout their supply chain.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol provides mills, manufacturers, brands and retailers the critical assurances they need to show their customers that the cotton fiber element of their supply chain is more responsibly grown. Member brands receive access to the Trust Protocol credit system to validate consumption of cotton and associated credit and to aggregate year-over-year data in six sustainability areas – water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, soil carbon, soil loss and land use efficiency.

Mills and manufacturer members play a key role in providing this more secure and transparent supply chain to brands and retailers.

As the newest Trust Protocol member, Advance Denim can now provide its customers with utmost confidence about the U.S. cotton in their sourcing mix. Advance Denim joins over 200 other mills and manufacturers as members of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.

“Advance Denim is committed to playing a leading role in sustainable solutions for the denim industry, and we are delighted to be supporting them in this ambition,” said Dr. Gary Adams, President of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “Collaboration is key, as with each member that joins, we have greater resources to help provide tools and knowledge to not only help U.S. growers improve their sustainability practices but to also give more mills, manufacturers, brands and retailers the supply chain confidence they need.”

Advance Denim’s membership in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol comes as demand for denim is increasing among brands seeking to satisfy customers and their love for the versatile fabric. Recent Google Trends data reveals that online searches for new denim styles have increased exponentially over the last year across the world, with a 1300% increase in denim masks and 110% increase in denim cargo shorts.

“Advance Denim aims to make innovative denim with minimal impact on the environment; to make cleaner and greener denim for the next generation,” said Ms. Amy Wang, Director of the Board, General Manager of Advance Denim. “Becoming a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol gives us access to more sustainably grown cotton and the all-important data to prove this to our customers. Working with the Trust Protocol will allow us to further our sustainability ambitions while providing an important competitive advantage in a marketplace increasingly focused on supply chain transparency backed up by data and evidence.”

The Trust Protocol is on the Textile Exchange’s list of 36 preferred fibers and materials available to more than 170 participating brands and retailers as part of Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index program. The Trust Protocol is also working to align with existing systems in the cotton industry and is part of the Forum of the Future Cotton 2040 and the CottonUp guide.

Based on information provided by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol