Cone Denim is advancing its sustainability commitment by focusing on incorporating regenerative cotton in its premium denim styles.
In collaboration with Regenagri, an international regenerative agriculture initiative that helps organizations reach new levels of sustainability, Cone’s goal is to increase access to sustainably sourced cotton grown using regenerative agricultural practices while also working on various programs to help its customers and brands achieve key sustainability actions.
Cone Denim said regenerative agriculture is a more sustainable approach to farming and a way to minimize apparel’s global footprint. By working with nature, these practices help improve soil health by restoring the soil’s organic carbon. Regenerative practices include no-till agriculture, use of cover crops, diverse crop rotations and reduced use of fertilizer or pesticides.
Cone is in full support of Regenagri initiatives that support organizations transitioning to holistic farming, including prioritization of increasing soil health and biodiversity, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestering CO2. Regenagri’s certification is backed by the Control Union, which helps develop services around the sustainability of supply chains that feed into many markets including textiles.
“We are increasingly dedicated to providing fabrics created with integrity, offering assurance and transparency to our customers, and participating in the newest ways to ensure sustainable cotton,” Cone Denim president Steve Maggard said. “Cotton is the foundation of denim. Cone is committed to leading the industry in offering the highest standards in sustainable and ethically grown cotton from our new certification with Regenagri and longstanding participation with BCI and Cotton Leads to our partnership with Oritain.”
“Not only are we dedicated to achieving Cone’s sustainability goals, but we’re also passionate about working with brands to help our customers meet and exceed their sustainability goals,” Maggard added. “The industry must collaborate on integrating these regenerative agriculture practices into supply chains in order to continuously push towards a more sustainable future.”
Together with its parent company, Elevate Textiles, Cone Denim has pledged to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and committed to source 80 percent verifiably sustainable cotton by 2025. The brand offers a variety of responsibly sourced cotton, including recycled cotton, organic cotton and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton, and continuously invests in supporting new initiatives.
Cone is a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, which brings verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production and drives continuous improvement in certain sustainability metrics. In addition, Cone’s partnership with supply chain traceability specialist Oritain remains another ongoing priority when it comes to transparency and supply chain integrity.
Cone also promotes sustainable practices through its Sustainblue denim fabrics representing the highest standards in responsible manufacturing and Cone’s commitment to making a positive impact in its communities. From performance denims and S GENE technology to vintage re-creations of Cone Deeptone Denim reaching back to the early 1900s, Cone offers collections of performance, stretch, selvage and Distilled Indigo denims crafted out of the Cone3D R&D incubator. Cone Denim has manufacturing capabilities in Mexico and China and a global network of sales, product and merchandising professionals based out of Greensboro, N.C., New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.