GREENSBORO, N.C. — December 1, 2015 — Cone Denim® announced today its partnership with the e³ Sustainable Cotton Program launched by Bayer CropScience. As part of its participation, Cone Denim has secured more than 1.5 million pounds of e³ cotton for the 2015-2016 crop year providing their customers access to the many benefits of the e³ program. With a focus on developing and promoting sustainable denims, Cone Denim also participates with the BCI – Better Cotton Initiative and Cotton LEADS™ sustainable cotton programs.
“We are committed to providing our customers a wide variety of sustainable denim product options and opportunities,” said Steve Maggard, vice president of operations and Cone® 3D. “e3 fits right in. No matter which one of the three major cotton sustainability initiatives (BCI, LEADS, or e3) our customers would like to get behind, we can facilitate the project.”
The e³ program is a sustainably grown cotton initiative defined through third-party independent auditors certifying farmer’s commitment to grow e³ cotton in an environmentally responsible, economically viable, and socially equitable manner in the United States. Branded e³ cotton will allow retailers to connect directly with U.S. growers. Consumers can then trace the supply chain of their garments all the way back to the cotton used in making their apparel and the conditions under which it was produced, providing an elevated level of transparency and accountable sustainability.
“We are very excited to be working with Cone Denim as a resource to further support the sustainable initiatives of their customers. With the e3 certification, brands can be assured they are receiving traceable certifiable cotton from field to garment, and from responsible growers that are continuously working to improve and preserve their land,” said Monty Christian, Vice President, US Cotton Operations and Seed & Fiber Technology, Bayer CropScience.
Cone Denim promotes sustainable and responsible practices in its manufacturing operations and in the development of new denims worldwide under its Cone 3D R&D incubator. Cone was named a member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in June of 2015. BCI is a not-for-profit organization that promotes responsible global standards for Better Cotton, bringing together the complex cotton supply chain from farmers to retailers. Cone Denim is also a partner with Cotton LEADS™, a joint program initiated by Australia and the U.S. that offers manufacturers, brands and retailers a reliable cotton supply chain solution and confidence that their raw material is responsibly produced and identified.
Posted December 1, 2015
Source: Cone Denim
