Here, their Product Sustainability & ESG Lead Sandra Joyce explains the importance of regenerative agriculture and Regenagri standards in their ambitious goals to reduce the environmental impact of cotton used in their garments.
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J.Crew Group’s support for regenerative agriculture is foundational to our commitment to mitigate our impact on nature. The steps we’ve taken to advance regenerative agriculture within our supply chain are helping to scale regenerative practices across U.S. farms, positioning us as leaders in this critical transition.
“We believe that regenerative agriculture practices are vital to increasing soil health, reducing carbon impacts and protecting species biodiversity, which ultimately will benefit our business. Regenagri provided us the assurance we needed to certify the regenerative claims we wanted to make in our supply chain.”
Katie O’Hare, Vice President, Sustainability at J.Crew Group
Since launching our regenerative agriculture programme in 2021, we have supported 39 US cotton farmers to transition from conventional to regenerative farming practices. These farms span nearly 130,000 acres (52,609 ha) of land across Alabama, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
To support growers, we provide premiums; direct payments intended to assist them during the three-year period of continuous land improvement needed to transition their farms to certified regenerative practices. Through this programme, we also helped implement the Regenagri standard in the US for the first time.
In 2024 J.Crew Group continued to provide impact incentives directly to US farmers to support their transition to regenerative agriculture and produced over 450 styles with regenerative cotton.
Our programme has helped to create long-term environmental benefits while also helping to reduce the financial barriers farmers might face during the transition. By sharing the responsibility, we aim to foster a more sustainable agricultural system.