By JORDAN STRICKLER

Kentucky Correspondent

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As part of an effort to increase sustainability for its product, the National Cotton Council (NCC) has released goals which it hopes the industry will have accomplished by 2025. The targets come as a broader move by the industry to reduce its carbon footprint.

The objectives were made by a task force set up earlier this year by the NCC to find ways for the business to increase its sustainability. The goals include:

•Reduce by 13 percent the land needed to produce a pound of cotton fiber

•Reduce soil loss by 50 percent, in balance with new soil formation

•Increase water use efficiency – more fiber per gallon – by 18 percent

•Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 39 percent

•Increase soil carbon in fields by 30 percent

•Reduce energy to produce seed cotton and ginned lint by 15 percent

“Our industry wants to be the supplier of choice for those who are committed to only buying cotton that is produced with sustainable and responsible environmental, safety and labor practices,” said NCC Chairman Ronnie Lee, a Georgia cotton producer.

The benchmarks were created using science-based metrics and were developed by Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture to assess environmental impacts and identify opportunities for improvement. Field to Market works across the entire agricultural supply chain to define, measure and advance the sustainability of U.S. crop production.

Ted Schneider, a Louisiana cotton producer who was tagged with leading the task force which set the goals, said that they collaborated with U.S. cotton industry associations “on developing industry-wide goals for measurable continual improvements in environmental stewardship, farm productivity, and resource efficiency such as land, water, air, input, and energy use.”

“We believe the United States may be the only country in the world with these kind of specific, measurable, quantified goals,” said Dahlen Hancock, chairman of Cotton Inc., a research organization funded by U.S. cotton producers and importers of cotton and cotton textile products.

Hancock, who is the former chairman of the Council’s export promotions arm, Cotton Council International (CCI), said CCI looks forward to “sharing with U.S. cotton’s global customers the strides our industry will continue to make in providing the world with responsibly produced, quality fiber.”

In another effort to highlight sustainability, Cotton Inc. recently announced the hire of its first Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer position, which was filled by Dr. Jesse Daystar.

"Dr. Daystar brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this newly created role, which will oversee and coordinate our internal and external sustainability efforts," said J. Berrye Worsham, President and CEO of Cotton Inc. "As our company's sustainability programs continue to gain momentum, Dr. Daystar will be a valuable resource for the company and the cotton industry."