Wrangler Joins Field to Market Sustainability Efforts

Iconic denim brand Wrangler has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture as an associate member working to help increase the supply of sustainable cotton.

Field to Market is a multi-stakeholder initiative working to unite the agricultural supply chain in defining, measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production in the United States. Wrangler is the first major apparel brand to join the initiative, and the announcement follows the brand’s launch last month of a pilot project for sustainable U.S. cotton.

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“Wrangler buys roughly 50% of its cotton from U.S. growers, and we’d like for it to be produced as sustainably as possible,” said Roian Atwood, director of sustainability for Wrangler. “As we work to deepen our understanding of the connection between soil health and effective on-farm practices, Field to Market’s experience and infrastructure will be invaluable.”

Field to Market engages in broad communication and collaboration with agricultural stakeholders to ensure a coordinated, outcomes-based approach to sustainable agriculture grounded in science. By providing useful measurement tools and resources, Field to Market helps brands and growers track and promote continuous improvement at the field level.

Wrangler will coordinate with Field to Market, the Soil Health Institute, and several other industry and academic partners to focus on cotton-growing practices that not only reduce environmental impacts, but also improve profitability for growers.

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These efforts will build upon learnings from Wrangler’s pilot program, which will initially include 40,000 pounds of cotton from the Newby family’s 10,000-acre family farm in Athens, AL. The family, which represents seven generations of farming experience, currently utilize soil grid mapping, conservation tillage and complex crop rotation, among other best practices.

Wrangler plans to work with Field to Market to expand upon this pilot to create a program that includes scores of growers who are focused on similar journeys of continuous improvement for healthy soils, collectively focused on achieving the best possible results for yield, irrigation water use, efficient input use, soil conservation and reduced emissions.

“As the first major apparel brand to join Field to Market, Wrangler is taking a leadership role in catalyzing continuous improvement in the sustainability of U.S. cotton,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. “Supply chain collaboration is essential to not only advancing environmental goals but also communicating farmers’ conservation efforts to consumers, and we are grateful for Wrangler’s strategic engagement.”

 

Source – Wrangler

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