Cotton Incorporated

CONSUMER MARKETING: THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT CONTINUED THE SUCCESS OF THE YOUR COTTON, YOUR WAY CAMPAIGN FOR A SECOND YEAR. THE CAMPAIGN, TARGETED TO ADULTS AGES 18 TO 49, WITH A FEMALE SKEW, AIMED TO HIGHLIGHT THE COMFORT OF COTTON AND THE CONFIDENCE IT PROVIDES TO REINFORCE THE FABRIC OF OUR LIVES MESSAGE. THE CAMPAIGN CAME TO LIFE IN A MODERN, MEMORABLE WAY BY FEATURING CHARACTERS WHO SHARE HOW COTTON IS THE FABRIC OF THEIR LIVES WHILE POPULAR MUSICIAN, CARNIE WILSON, ACCOMPANIES THEM ON THE PIANO. THIS CAMPAIGN IS MEANT TO REINVIGORATE AND ADD A MODERN DIMENSION TO THE ORIGINAL, THE FABRIC OF OUR LIVES JINGLE, WHICH IS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CAMPAIGN. THIS 360 EFFORT REACHED CONSUMERS THROUGH TELEVISION, STREAMING VIDEO, DIGITAL MEDIA, SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING, AND SOCIAL MEDIA. BY CREATING AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION AND IMPROVING BRAND HEALTH, THE CAMPAIGN DROVE AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF COTTON AND INCREASED DESIRABILITY AMONG CONSUMERS. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE FOR THE CAMPAIGN'S SECOND YEAR WAS OPTIMIZING AND BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED IN 2021. THE STRATEGIC PRIORITY IN MEDIA WAS TO PRIORITIZE CHANNELS THAT HAVE SHOWN STRONG PERFORMANCE RESULTS IN 2021. IN 2022, THE CAMPAIGN DELIVERED OVER 182M IMPRESSIONS FROM THE TV AND STREAMING EFFORTS. ANOTHER KEY OBJECTIVE OF THE CAMPAIGN WAS TO EDUCATE AND ENGAGE CONSUMERS. WITH AN INCREASED EMPHASIS ON CUSTOM CONTENT PROGRAMS, THE DEPARTMENT CONTINUED ITS SUSTAINABILITY, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS INITIATIVES BY DEVELOPING A ROBUST AND CUSTOMIZED DIGITAL CONTENT PLAN ACROSS A VARIETY OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS. THE DEPARTMENT PARTNERED WITH KEY LEADERS IN THESE SPACES TO CREATE EXPERIENCES SUCH AS INFOGRAPHICS, PODCASTS, AND ARTICLES TO EDUCATE CONSUMERS. THIS DROVE CONSIDERATION AND HIGHLIGHTED COTTON'S KEY BENEFIT MESSAGING VIA ENGAGING EXPERIENCES ONLINE. The Your Cotton, Your Way CAMPAIGN WAS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY THE COTTON NATURALS, GAMING, AND SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGNS. THESE CONSUMER MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AIMED TO RAISE AWARENESS WITH SPECIFIC NICHE GROUPS. COUPLING NEW CREATIVE ASSETS WITH INTEREST-BASED TARGETING, KEY TARGET GROUPS WILL BE SERVED AND ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE WITH THE CREATIVE WORK. THE COTTON NATURALS CAMPAIGN LEVERAGED ACTIVE VIDEO ADS ONLINE AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO REACH FITNESS/WELLNESS AND LIFESTYLE SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS. FURTHER, AN IN-PERSON ACTIVATION TOOK PLACE IN VENICE BEACH, CA (NOVEMBER) TO BRING THE MESSAGE OF COTTON ACTIVEWEAR DIRECTLY TO A SKATING/BOARDING COMMUNITY. THE GAMING CAMPAIGN FEATURED ONLINE DISPLAY BANNER ADS AND CUSTOM CONTENT SPONSORSHIPS TO REACH VIDEO GAME FANS IN NATIVE ENVIRONMENTS ONLINE. "GAMING" WAS INITIALLY LAUNCHED AS A TEST CAMPAIGN IN 2021, AND BASED ON ITS SUCCESS, THE CAMPAIGN OPTIMIZED FROM THE PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN. FINALLY, THE INCREASED INTEREST IN SUSTAINABILITY REVOLVED AROUND A KEY TARGETED PAID SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORT AS WELL AS UTILIZING KEY SUSTAINABILITY INFLUENCERS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. ADDITIONALLY, CORPORATE BRANDING LAUNCHED IN JANUARY AND RAN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, IN PRINT AND ONLINE, TO REACH THE TEXTILE TRADE. ACROSS THE COTTON LEADSSM AND MACROTRADE CAMPAIGNS, THERE ARE OVER 100 PLACEMENTS. MEDIA RAN IN PRINT AND DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS ECOTEXTILE NEWS, RIVET, AND SOURCING JOURNAL. ADDITIONALLY, THE MACROTRADE CAMPAIGN RAN ON LINKEDIN, TARGETING DECISION-MAKERS IN SUPPLY-CHAIN BASED INDUSTRIES. BASED ON FINDINGS FROM THE 2021 CAMPAIGN, THE LINKEDIN CAMPAIGN WAS OPTIMIZED SO THAT THE FREQUENCY OF THE AD HAD INCREASED VIEWS. BY TARGETING A SMALLER, MORE QUALIFIED AUDIENCE, THE STATISTICAL STRENGTH OF THE BRAND FAVORABILITY READ-OUT INCREASED. DURING 2022, THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES THERE HAVE BEEN 3,604 NEWS ITEMS ABOUT THE COMPANY AND ITS ACTIVITIES, REPRESENTING A REACH OF OVER 2B. IN 2022, APPROXIMATELY 60 MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS WERE DEVELOPED AND DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BY THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM. BY PARTICIPATING IN KEY INITIATIVES, SUCH AS SATELLITE MEDIA TOURS FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL AND HOLIDAY SHOPPING, THE EFFORTS RESULTED IN 1,099 NEWS STORIES, REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF 21.9M. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED OVER 250 PROACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WITH AN ESTIMATED REACH OF 10.3M IMPRESSIONS. NOTABLE AMONG THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2022 WERE ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF: THE SUSTAINABILITY OF U.S. COTTON; THE CORPORATE STRATEGY AND INSIGHTS (CSI) DEPARTMENT AND ITS CONSUMER AND RETAIL TRENDS DATA; AND CONSUMER-FACING CORPORATE INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE BLUE JEANS GO GREEN DENIM RECYCLING PROGRAM, AND FURTHER AMPLIFICATION OF THE COTTONSEED AND COTTONSEED OIL INDUSTRY. IN 2022 BRAND PARTNERSHIPS CONTINUED PLANNING AND EXECUTING CONSUMER-FACING FASHION AND RETAIL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES AROUND MESSAGING, COLLECTION, AND DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS FOR THE BLUE JEANS GO GREEN (BJGG) DENIM RECYCLING PROGRAM. THERE CONTINUED TO BE INTEREST AND PARTICIPATION FROM CONSUMERS AND THE INDUSTRY IN SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH THE BLUE JEANS GO GREEN (BJGG) PROGRAM. NEW-TO-THE-PROGRAM AND RETURNING BRANDS AND RETAILERS OFFERED CONSUMER-FACING DENIM RECYCLING IN-STORE AND/OR ONLINE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. NEW TO THE PROGRAM, ANTHROPOLOGIE, PARTICIPATED FROM AUGUST THROUGH OCTOBER, AND WHITE HOUSE BLACK MARKET HELD TAKE-BACK PROMOTIONS WITH VARYING OFFERS THREE TIMES THROUGHOUT 2022. SOME NOTABLE RETURNING RETAILERS INCLUDED AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, ARIAT, MADEWELL, PACSUN, THEISEN'S, AND SOUTH MOON UNDER. THE DENIM RECYCLING PROGRAM CONTINUES TO THRIVE BECAUSE IT'S BEEN GROUNDED IN SUSTAINABILITY SINCE ITS INCEPTION, AND IT HELPS RETAILERS OFFER A WAY TO CLOSE THE LOOP ON COTTON'S CIRCULARITY. TO EMPHASIZE COTTON'S INHERENT CIRCULAR LIFECYCLE, BJGG ANNOUNCED AND EXECUTED A NEW MESSAGING CAMPAIGN IN THE FALL, DENIM FULL CIRCLE, WHICH WAS FEATURED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, EMAIL BLASTS, AND THE BJGG WEBSITE. THIS CAMPAIGN ALSO INCLUDED A PUSH TO SIGN UP FOR COTTON'S EVERY PIECE PLEDGE, A VIRTUAL COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY AND DENIM RECYCLING, WHICH COINCIDED WITH AMERICA RECYCLES DAY ON NOVEMBER 15. THE BLUE JEANS GO GREEN PROGRAM CONTINUES TO OFFER COTTON'S ENDEMIC BRANDS, RETAILERS, AND NON-ENDEMIC BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS A TURNKEY WAY TO PARTICIPATE AND MEET THEIR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GOALS WHILE EDUCATING AND ENGAGING CONSUMERS. TO CAPTURE THE ATTENTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS, BJGG IMPLEMENTED A COLLEGE TRANSIT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AT FIVE UNIVERSITIES FROM OCTOBER 15 TO DECEMBER 15. OVER 2022, THE BLUE JEANS GO GREEN PROGRAM SOUGHT NEW WAYS TO INSPIRE BRANDS, RETAILERS, BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS TO GET INVOLVED AND RECYCLE THEIR DENIM. THE STRATEGIC AND RETAIL PARTNERSHIPS AREA WITHIN THE BRAND PARTNERSHIPS DEPARTMENT HAD A MULTIFACETED YEAR OF MARKETING EFFORTS AT POINT-OF-SALE. ONE OF THE MANY OBJECTIVES FOR THE TEAM IS TO ESTABLISH AN APPROPRIATE MIX OF RETAIL CHANNEL PARTNERS. THE TEAM ONBOARDS NEW RETAILERS YEARLY AND RE-ENGAGES WITH HIGH-PERFORMING RETAILERS WHERE POTENTIAL AND/OR GROWTH OPPORTUNITY IS SEEN BASED ON PROGRAM METRIC REPORTS. THIS YEAR, THE TEAM WORKED WITH REVOLVE (MASS E-TAILER), EDITORIALIST (FASHION MEDIA AND RETAIL PLATFORM), SOMETHING NAVY (INFLUENCER-BRED ONLINE RETAILER WITH BRICK-AND MORTAR BOUTIQUES), AROPOSTALE (ONLINE AND NATIONAL BRICK-AND-MORTAR SPECIALTY CHAIN) AND FOUR SMALL BUSINESSES FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM. THE AMOUNT OF COTTON BENEFIT MESSAGING PROMOTIONAL ASSETS AND THE SEAL OF COTTON PLACEMENT AT RETAIL THIS YEAR WAS SIGNIFICANT. THERE WERE OVER 150 PIECES OF CONTENT PUBLISHED BY REVOLVE ALONE (AND THIS ONLY INCLUDES ONE OF THEIR PLATFORMS - REVOLVE WOMENSWEAR). ROUGHLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF COTTON-FOCUSED ASSETS WAS PROMOTED BY THEIR REVOLVE MAN AND FWRD PLATFORMS. EXPERIENCES CAME BACK IN A LARGE WAY THIS YEAR AFTER A HIATUS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. COTTON HAD A SUSTAINABILITY PRESENCE AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK. THERE WERE INFLUENCER EVENTS WHERE COTTON CONTENT WAS POSTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA BY PROMINENT INFLUENCERS. COTTON WAS FRONT AND CENTER VIA SIGNAGE AT OVER 500 AROPOSTALE STORES NATIONWIDE. THERE WERE ALSO UNIQUE IN-PERSON EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING A POP-UP STORE IN LOS ANGELES, A SHOPPING EVENT IN HOUSTON, A BODY POSITIVITY IN-STORE EVENT IN NEW YORK, AND A HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE IN MIAMI. OVER 10K SKUS WERE TAGGED WITH THE SEAL OF COTTON ONLINE, ALLOWING FOR AN EASY IDENTIFIER OF COTTON PRODUCTS. CURATED ONLINE SHOPS ALSO HELPED EASE THE COTTON PURCHASE JOURNEY ON DESKTOP, MOBILE DEVICES, AND APPS. IN 2022, CORPORATE STRATEGY AND INSIGHTS LED EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FOR COTTON USING MARKET INTELLIGENCE, INCLUDING ONGOING RESEARCH OF U.S. CONSUMERS' ATTITUDES FROM THE LIFESTYLE MONITOR SURVEY, ASSESSMENTS OF COTTON'S SHARE AT RETAIL THROUGH THE RETAIL MONITOR STUDY, AND GLOBAL MARKET AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS. CORPORATE STRATEGY AND INSIGHTS PROVIDED 200 INFORMATION REQUESTS; PARTICIPATED IN OVER 75 MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS; AUTHORED 290 PUB

Global supply chain marketing: the global supply chain marketing division is responsible for promoting the use of Cotton in products ranging from apparel to home textiles and consumer items such as diapers, disposable wipes, and hygiene products. The division works globally with staff based in four countries but reaching hundreds of companies in more than 30 countries. The division operates with three strategic objectives to guide the many different marketing and program activities. An important tactic for maintaining a global presence for Cotton is through direct account interaction with mills, manufacturers, brands, and retailers for the apparel, nonwovens, and home products markets. Gscm staff focus their efforts on influencing major brands and retailers through coordination of various company resources, with the goal of influencing the use of Cotton versus other fibers. During 2022, gscm staff conducted more than 576 meetings with companies in the manufacturing supply chain including key brand and retailer accounts. Gscm participation in industry events included: - gscm staff participated in person at the january and june 2022 outdoor retailer show in denver, co, and received a total of more than 735 requests for fabricast fabrics. - staff attended the ispo trade show in munich, germany, advancing the use of Cotton and Cotton technologies to the european performance brands. More than 150 fabricast fabric requests were generated from this event. - staff presented at the usfia annual conference in nyc. - staff sponsored and participated in the second regional sustainability event in central america organized by the textile and confection chamber of el salvador. Cotton Incorporated's vice president and chief sustainability officer spoke about positioning the Cotton leadssm program and the advances of the u.s. Cotton industry in the frame of the higgs index methodology. - staff sponsored and participated in four, 3d virtual fashion workshops organized by clothing industry training authority (cita). As part of the sponsorship, staff presented and introduced Cotton Incorporated's digital fabric library and assets available on cottonworks website. The workshops were attended by mills, sourcing companies, and brands. The gscm division is responsible for messaging to the trade. In 2022, consistent messaging and imagery was implemented throughout, including tradeshows, tradeshow promotional items and outlets, and other publications. Numerous different print and digital assets were created to focus on multiple messages in the most effective platforms for the apparel, home, and nonwovens markets. Many activities occurred in 2022 to promote the use of Cotton in products through licensing of Cotton Incorporated's technologies. Several notable projects are listed below: - a national retailer in the u.s. Adopted the use of tough Cotton technology for a back-to school program with technology callouts on hangtags and garment stickers. - a u.s.-based workwear brand has expanded the use of storm Cotton technology for both knit and woven products. - a u.s.-based men's retailer adopted the purepress technology on a casual pant program. - the largest apparel department store in mexico launched a first lot of 15,000 pieces featuring the wicking windows technology. - a japanese casual and denim apparel brand and retailer commercialized storm Cotton technology on their spring/summer 2022 collection, which includes jackets, pants, and overalls. The products carried the storm Cotton technology hangtags and were marketed in the japanese markets. - an australian athletic apparel retailer launched around 48,000 units of transdry technology Cotton products, namely men's and women's cotton/spandex tee shirts and tanks. The products were on sale in the australian market in the first quarter of 2022 and online for markets in other countries including new zealand, u.s., canada, singapore, u.k., and europe. - a chinese sportswear brand adopted transdry technology on a line of women's tee shirts and dresses. Over 7,500 units were launched at retail with transdry technology hangtags. - a french lingerie brand produced and marketed around 80,000 pieces of transdry Cotton undergarments. Products were available in france in 2022. In 2022, 41 technical education workshops were held with over 2,300 attendees. This year's workshops were held in person and virtually because of the pandemic. New topics this year included digital prototyping and knitting for activewear. The purpose of these workshops was to provide detailed technical information and training on relevant topics important for Cotton. Cottonworks webinars offer a unique way to reach the industry and amplify the company's message. Following a record year for webinars, the highest attendance on record was recorded in early 2022 for webinars. Staff hosted a webinar on circularity, and over 500 attendees joined it. A total of ten webinars were held this year. Recorded webinars live on the cottonworks website and make for great web content. Webinars are one of the most successful methods to share information with many industry professionals from the global Cotton industry. The 2022 "Cotton in the curriculum" university education program was concluded in december. Specifically, 19 university projects across the u.s. Were awarded. The objective of the university grants is to increase the awareness of Cotton in the classrooms. Many grants include visits to the Cotton Incorporated headquarters and north carolina Cotton farms. Seven headquarter tours were held, including a trip to a Cotton farm. Staff also visit to meet with faculty, present awards, and guest lecture. The 2023 grant program is underway. In september 2022, about 100 buyers, designers, and sustainability officers with major fashion brands and retailers joined sustainability luminaries and experts in soil health, supply chain, circularity, and Cotton agriculture at the 2022 Cotton sustainability summit. The summit is one example of Cotton Incorporated's role as a leader and convener in the textile industry. The convergence of attendees created a unique platform for exchanging ideas to address sustainability issues, from regenerative agriculture to circularity to waste reduction for members of the textile and fashion industries.

Agricultural research: the agricultural research division's main objective is to improve the profitability of u.s. Cotton production by directing and funding the creation of agricultural innovations and their adoption by Cotton producers. For 2022, the agricultural and environmental research division's priorities focused on pest management, seed quality, sustainability support, and evaluating emerging technologies. Addressing issues in these key areas is critical for improving grower profitability, reducing Cotton's environmental impact, and delivering a quality product to the textile industry. Ongoing entomology research aimed at reducing input costs by improving insecticide spray thresholds and evaluating a new bt Cotton for thrips and lygus control made significant progress this year. Continued development of fov4 resistant germplasm as well as the identification of genetic and virulence diversity across the u.s. will improve management, breeding efforts, and help limit damage in upland Cotton. Best management practices for various weed species were evaluated to slow the development and spread of herbicide resistant weeds, including use of cover crops and seed destruction. To improve seed quality, a belt wide project was continued in 2022 to identify correlations between seed quality characteristics and in-field stand establishment. As part of an effort to improve the value of cottonseed, Cotton Incorporated has continued to support two multiyear projects focused on better understanding the impacts of cottonseed oil consumption for human health. To support the division's sustainability efforts, a belt wide nitrogen refinement study was initiated at over 20 locations again in 2022 to improve nitrogen use efficiency by better quantifying and crediting soil residual nitrogen based on crop rotations and integration of cover crops. Progress was also made in developing an open-source image database to support autonomous harvesting, as well as an application to other Cotton management concerns including hard lock and weed control. The sustainability division's main objective, to create an improved sustainability reputation for the Cotton industry, is accomplished through five major focus areas: 1) sustainable Cotton production goals and the u.s. Cotton trust protocol, 2) research on circularity and Cotton biodegradability, 3) sustainability assessments, 4) engagement and leadership in sustainability non-governmental (ngo) and standards organizations, and 5) Cotton sustainability communications. Achieving objectives within these five major project categories strengthens Cotton's position as a more sustainable, trustworthy, and competitive fiber to the entire supply chain. To reach the u.s ten-year sustainability goals, the u.s. Cotton trust protocol (ctp), field to market, and the Cotton leads program are key collaborating organizations for the sustainability division's efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of Cotton production, provide metrics for measurement, and to communicate to the supply chain. The division continues to provide technical support and leadership to the u.s. ctp to help increase grower enrollment. By serving on the metrics, verification, sustainable finance, and education and outreach committees within field to market, the division's staff not only help to lead this flagship commodity sustainability organization but ensure that the calculator and metrics remain relevant and useful for Cotton. The division continues to work closely with the Cotton leads group, communicating the sustainability successes of the u.s. and australian Cotton industries with brands, retailers, and manufacturers to boost Cotton consumption. Additionally, this year the division collaborated with the u.s. ctp team to design and deliver a u.s. Climate smart Cotton program proposal to the usda's partnerships for climate smart commodities funding opportunity. This proposal was awarded $90,000,000 from the usda and included $8,750,000 from industry matching funds over the five-year project period. As part of this industry support, Cotton Incorporated committed $2,500,000 which was leveraged to help secure the overall proposal award. The sustainability division expanded the Cotton biodegradability research this year with additional circularity options in collaboration with the product development and implementation division (pdi). A study was completed to research how different indigo dyes impact denim compostability at the lab and industrial scale. This effort was successful in establishing the proof of concept that textile compostability could be an option for brands and retailers looking to expand their circularity strategies and capture carbon in the soil. Expanding the division's activities into the standards arena has provided a new avenue for influencing and leading the conversation about Cotton and sustainability, especially the circular economy. Working with the agriculture and environmental research (aerd) and pdi divisions, sustainability is implementing strategies to increase sustainable Cotton and textile production. In coordination with the consumer marketing and global supply chain marketing divisions, communicating sustainability messages is being accomplished through online educational webinars and continued content development for the Cotton today website. The sustainability division is working to increase the visibility of Cotton Incorporated as a leader in sustainability and gain important roles in sustainability organizations that create tools and metrics to judge the sustainability of Cotton.