Wrangler plans Collaboration with Cotton Farmers to Improve Sustainability in production

Wrangler is a household name for denim in the United States. With that being said, tradition must keep up with the evolution of time, consumer demands and market competition.

In efforts to improve its supply of sustainable cotton garments, Wrangler has joined the Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. Field to Market is an initiative that is working to improve the supply chain sustainability of textile producers by increasing the sustainability of natural resources at their place of origin.

The main focus for Wrangler will be the use of more sustainably farmed cotton. The organization plans on working closely with Field to Market, the Soil Heath Institute, and other industry and academic actors in order to build a new standard for sustainable cotton-farming practices. Efforts will be a win-win for Wrangler and the farmer’s it plans to source it’s cotton from, improving “profitability for growers while reducing environmental impacts,” the company states.

“Wrangler is the first major apparel brand to join the initiative, and follows the brand’s launch last month of a pilot project for sustainable US cotton” (Environmental Leader 2017).

Working with such a young initiative, indeed, opens the organization up to risks with efficiency and quality, but they’re confident that this initiative will create a new standard for the sustainability of their brand and products.

This particular project is heavily reliant on the collaboration of the Newby family. With advisement from the Soil Health Institute, they’ll collaborate with Wrangler to “ improve cotton yield, irrigation, energy inputs, greenhouse gas emissions and soil conservation” (Environmental Leader 2017).

Final projections show that 40 thousand pounds of Newby’s sustainably farmed cotton will be used to create a special collection of Wrangler jeans; planned to be sold 2018.

Wrangler’s joining of this initiative, as a major apparel brand, sends a message to others that supply chain sustainability in the textile industry isn’t just a matter of planet and profitability, but it could change the trajectory millions of people’s lives.