TW特别报告
National fashion and textile editors recently took a break from their busy deadlines and embarked on a virtual trip called Farm to Fashion: an e3 Sustainable Cotton event. Led by BASF Fiber Development Manager Jennifer Crumpler, editors traveled on a sustainable cotton journey, beginning in the field and ending with jeans.
“The purpose of the e3 Farm to Fashion event is to bring together voices from all parts of the cotton supply chain,” said Crumpler. “We’re proud that our partners provide cotton and end products that are sustainable and made in the U.S.”
用棉花旅行：从种子到吉恩
Those partners included Louisiana cotton farmers Marshall and Mead Hardwick, who together with their parents, run Hardwick Planting Company. The family farms approximately 9,000 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, and sorghum.
After hearing from the Hardwick’s about their operation in Newellton, LA, guests “traveled” a short distance to Vidalia, LA, where Eric Goldstein, executive vice president at Vidalia Mills, shared the story behind the mill. Because of their commitment to a completely tracebable supply chain, the mill exclusively uses e3 sustainable cotton.
Guests then took a virtual trip to Los Angeles, and listened to the compelling story of Trinidad Garcia III, founder of Trinidad3 Jeans and United States Marine Corps. veteran. His swap from machine guns to sewing machines and passion for community and underserved veterans is interesting enough on its own, but Garcia is also committed to only sourcing cotton and materials from the U.S.
Educating Consumers On Sustainability Red Flags
After hearing from the speakers, the media was then invited to participate in a live Q&A session and discussed topics like supply chain issues (there are none when all your labor and materials are sourced from within the U.S.), product labels, and sustainability.
Betsy Cribb, editor at Southern Living magazine, asked if there were any red flags that consumers should watch out for when purchasing cotton items, like with the word “organic” used in the food industry.
戈德斯坦回答说：“是的，有很多单词，这个问题很深，但是“有机'一词在时装界被滥用，几乎和食品中一样。”Goldstein和Garcia都同意没有政府标签的限制，这意味着品牌可以在其材料上放置“有机水”一词或“使用更少的水”，而不必验证这些主张。
“That is essentially why we are here,” said Crumpler. “No one is delivering the traceability data and transparency like the e3 Sustainable Cotton program and our partners right here.”
And Vidalia Mills is taking that traceability one step further with the goal of having the entire supply chain — from cotton fiber to finished goods — under one roof.
戈德斯坦说：“ E3棉花计划对我们非常重要。”“我们的客户想要可追溯，可持续的棉花，我们可以从E3棉花中得到。我们为可以向消费者展示诸如收获棉花时以及使用多少水种植的东西而感到自豪。其他品牌正在声称这一点，但只有E3才有数据来支持他们的主张。”
Delivering On A Promise
“Brands like ours have to lead by example because consumers are putting their trust in us,” said Garcia. “They deserve a well-made product and to be told the true story behind how it’s [jeans] made.”
And that story starts on the farm.
“As fourth-generation cotton farmers, our job is to leave the land better than we found it,” said Marshall Hardwick. “How we grow our e3 cotton is of the utmost importance and knowing that cotton travels from our gin to Vidalia Mills and then on to brands like Trinidad3 makes us proud to be part of a program that delivers the data and transparency consumers deserve.”
E3可持续棉花计划是什么？
E3可持续棉花是唯一一项棉花可持续性计划，从棉花种子和农民到杜松子酒，磨坊和零售商提供可追溯性。
It’s the only cotton sustainability program that tracks environmental outcomes back to each farmer’s individual cotton field and each bale. Using the MyFarms digital platform, the e3 sustainable cotton program tracks 8 sustainability measures:
- Irrigation water use and water quality
- 农药管理和使用
- 土壤保护和生育管理
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Energy use and conservation
- 工人健康与安全
- 身份保存
- Soil carbon.
Editor’s Note: For more information on the e3 Sustainable Cotton program by BASF, visit e3cotton.us.
January 27, 2022
