US Cotton Trust Protocol appoints new executive director, Daren Abney

Daren Abney has been appointed as Executive director of the US Cotton Trust Protocol. He has formerly worked with Lenzing, Better Cotton Initiative, and Textile Exchange. The US Cotton Trust Protocol was set up in 2020 to define the standards of sustainable cotton cultivation in the USA.

Abney has worked with Lenzing, an Austrian cellulose fibres (wood pulp) specialist, as the head of business development for the American markets. He has also been a part of Better Cotton Initiative for nearly 7 years and almost as long at Textile Exchange, an NGO that advocates fighting against climate change in the textile and apparel industry.

Gary Adams, president of the US Cotton Trust Protocol said, “Abney’s cotton and textile supply chain knowledge, combined with an unparalleled understanding of sustainability initiatives and a strong track record of building relationships with diverse stakeholders, will be hugely beneficial as the program charts its path forward.”

Reportedly, Abney will oversee the activity of the US Climate Smart Cotton Program. This project is designed to measure and improve cotton’s carbon footprint. It is a five-year pilot project that is part of the USDA’s Climate Smart initiative. The lead appointed for the project is US Trust Protocol.

The US Cotton Trust Protocol works on a monitoring and advisory service on cotton cultivation. It also tracks the sector’s operations via six sustainability metrics: cultivated area, land fertility, sustainability of inputs, water management, carbon emissions, and energy management.