Source: PRESS RELEASE, 6/28/19

Iconic denim brand Wrangler® announced today it has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture as an associate member as a next step toward increasing the supply of sustainable cotton. The multi-stakeholder initiative is working to unite the agricultural supply chain in defining, measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production in the United States.

Wrangler is the first major apparel brand to join the initiative, and the announcement follows the brand’s launch last month of a pilot project for sustainable U.S. cotton. “Wrangler buys roughly 50 percent of its cotton from U.S. growers, and we’d like for it to be produced as sustainably as possible,” said Roian Atwood, director of sustainability for Wrangler. “As we work to deepen our understanding of the connection between soil health and effective on-farm practices, Field to Market’s experience and infrastructure will be invaluable.”

Field to Market engages in broad communication and collaboration with agricultural stakeholders to ensure a coordinated, outcomes-based approach to sustainable agriculture that is grounded in science. By providing useful measurement tools and resources, Field to Market helps brands and growers track and promote continuous improvement at the field and landscape levels.

Wrangler will coordinate with Field to Market, the Soil Health Institute, and several other industry and academic partners to focus on cotton-growing practices that not only reduce environmental impacts, but also improve profitability for growers. These efforts will build upon learnings from Wrangler’s pilot program, which will initially include 40,000 pounds of cotton from a 10,000-acre family farm in Athens, Alabama. The Newby’s, which represent seven generations of farming experience, currently utilize soil grid mapping, conservation tillage and complex crop rotation, among other best practices. Ultimately, Wrangler aims to work with Field to Market to expand upon this pilot to create a program that includes scores of growers who are focused on similar journeys of continuous improvement for healthy soils, collectively focused on achieving the best possible results for yield, irrigation water use, efficient input use, soil conservation and reduced emissions.

“As the first major apparel brand to join Field to Market, Wrangler is taking a leadership role in catalyzing continuous improvement in the sustainability of U.S. cotton,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. “Supply chain collaboration is essential to not only advancing environmental goals but also communicating farmers’ conservation efforts to consumers, and we are grateful for Wrangler’s strategic engagement.”

About Wrangler®
Wrangler® apparel is available nationwide in mass market retailers, specialty stores, including work apparel chains, farm & fleet, and western stores, as well as through online and catalog retailers. To find a retailer or for more information on the Wrangler family of products, visit Wrangler.com or call 888.784.8571.