The Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership is a five-year collaboration between organizations that include Colorado State University, the Carbon Cycle Institute, The National Center of Appropriate Technology, The New York Textile Lab, Seed2Shirt, and Fibershed. Their goal is to shift conventional food and fiber farming practices in the United States towards regenerative methods by creating economic incentives that promote improvements in soil health, hydrology, and biodiversity within and around crop fields.
This project, inspired by the success of California’s San Joaquin Valley, aims to expand its impact to four regions across the US. It has garnered significant support from the USDA to scale sustainable practices, fund carbon farm planners, and encourage the enrollment of cotton and wool-producing landscapes.
Fibershed leads the market development phase, working on traceable, farm-forward textiles in multiple US watersheds. It aims to enroll 73,000 acres of cotton-specific landscapes, potentially yielding between 90 million to 114 million pounds of cotton annually. To verify the fibers’ origin from restored and enhanced landscapes, an open-source portal is being developed.
Additionally, the initiative collaborates with Seed2Shirt to expand carbon farming practices across 53,000 acres in California and the Southeast, with a particular focus on supporting Black-owned cotton farms. The project’s overarching mission is to benefit growers in the San Joaquin Valley while uplifting Black cotton growers and promoting soil health in agricultural practices.
