At Wrangler, we use a lot of cotton. Large-scale cotton production requires extensive use of water, fertilizers and pesticides—practices that are costly to farmers and can have significant environmental impacts. Inspired by the potential of emerging science and technology, Wrangler has formed a coalition of industry, academic and nonprofit partners to assist and encourage U.S. cotton growers to adopt best practices for soil health.

Soil-health practices like no-till farming, crop rotation and cover cropping, build crop resilience to weather disruptions while improving yield, reducing water and energy inputs, fighting erosion and reducing greenhouse gas emission. Launched in 2017 with a large, family-owned cotton farm in Alabama, Wrangler’s sustainable cotton program partners now include Cotton Inc., Soil Health Institute, the E3 growing platform, Field to Market, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina State University, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and others. By 2020, we aim to leverage collaborative training and improvement programs for our cotton farmers to enhance the sustainability of our fiber supply and the U.S. cotton industry at large.

Abroad, Wrangler has partnered with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). BCI exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future. Wrangler is committed to improving cotton farming practices globally with the BCI. Each year, Wrangler and our sister brand, Lee increase the volume of sustainable cotton purchased—from 700 MT in 2014, to 21,999 MT in 2020. Better Cotton is sourced via a system of Mass Balance and is not physically traceable to end products. See bettercotton.org/massbalance for details.

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