Brand and Retailer Membership Agreement Executive Summary

Goals and Purposes of the Agreement

Goals

This Agreement will provide the Brand-Retailer a means to encourage, support, and verify more sustainable cotton production practices in the United States and thereby to increase the sustainability of the Brand-Retailer’s cotton supply chain.

Purposes

  • Set out terms and conditions under which sustainably grown cotton will be made available to the Brand-Retailer for use in its supply chain and marketing plans.
  • Set out terms and conditions under which Brand-Retailer will have access to aggregated data associated with the production of sustainably grown cotton.
  • Set out the terms and conditions under which both parties may promote public awareness of the Brand-Retailer’s support and participation in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol™.

Roles and Responsibilities

What the Protocol Will Do

  • Provide the Brand-Retailer access to a Sustainability Program that:
    • Sets and maintains high sustainability criteria that participating U.S. cotton producers will meet.
    • Enrolls U.S. cotton producers who agree to meet the Protocol’s high sustainability criteria.
    • Utilizes third-party verification to ensure that participating cotton producers meet the Protocol’s high sustainability criteria.
  • Maintain and provide access to the Protocol Cconsumption Management Solution that brands and retailers can use to facilitate and track their purchases of sustainably grown cotton.
  • Track and provide aggregated data of sustainable growing practices and that can be used to show the impact of the Brand-Retailers support for the Protocol’s Sustainability Program.
  • License use of the Protocol logo to show consumers that the Brand-Retailer’s products are made from sustainably grown cotton.
  • Display the Brand-Retailer’s logo/emblem on the Protocol’s website and materials to show the Brand-Retailer’s support for the Protocol’s Sustainability Program.

What the Brand-Retailer Will Do

  • Support the Protocol’s Sustainability Program financially through:
    • Annual fees; and,
    • Additional fees associated with the use of the Protocol Consumption
  • Adhere to the Protocol’s Code of Conduct, which enumerates ethical business practices consistent with the spirit of the Protocol’s Sustainability Program.
  • License use of its logo to the Protocol for display on the Protocol’s website and materials to show the Brand-Retailer’s support for the goals and purposes of the Protocol’s Sustainability Program.
  • Consider utilizing the Protocol Consumption Management Solution.
  • Protect any confidential data obtained through access to the Protocol from unauthorized disclosure.
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Deepika Mishra

Standards and Data Lead (consultant)

Deepika Mishra is the Standards and Data Lead for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, acting as a consultant for the program. As an accomplished scientist and data analytics specialist, Deepika leads on analysis of the Trust Protocol’s environmental metrics. She collaborates extensively with agricultural research institutions, conservation groups, and food and trade organizations, playing a vital role in the establishment of sustainability and social standards within the industry.

Deepika earned her Ph.D. in plant and soil science from Texas Tech University, specializing in cotton breeding and genetics. With over a decade of experience, she has spearheaded diverse agricultural projects in both India and the United States, covering crops like cotton, cowpeas, castor, sesame, guar, guayule, tomato, and field pennycress (cover crop). Her contributions also include the development and release of multiple cowpea varieties in India during her M.S. studies in vegetable breeding and genetics.