16 Jun 2022

Citizens of Humanity Group supports the first US Farm to be regenagri certified.

Citizens of Humanity Group has established a US-based farming program to encourage farmers to adopt regenerative methods to grow cotton for its brands, Citizens of Humanity, AGOLDE and GOLDSIGN. Reducing its carbon impact is a critical part of the company’s sustainability initiatives, and the company plans to use this cotton for both denim and knits.

As part of the program, the company selected Control Union to conduct its regenagri certification audit on the first farm selected for the company’s program – Hardwick Planting Company in Louisiana.

Hardwick Planting Company is a multi-generational operation, founded in 1986. Their patriarch, Jay Hardwick, had been looking to partner with a brand in order to improve their environmental stewardship over their 8,000 acre mixed arable farm, and Citizens of Humanity was ideally situated to work with them. Their contract includes the agreement that Citizens of Humanity will pay a premium for cotton grown on the farm in return for Hardwick Planting Company using regenerative techniques.

Hardwick Planting Company is the first regenagri certified cotton farm in the USA. In addition to achieving certification, Citizens of Humanity Group and regenagri are working with Hardwick Planting Company to ensure that they are on a path of continuous improvement in their regenerative methodology. Methods they are utilising include minimum tillage, cover cropping, rotating 5 crops, afforestation and natural buffer zones. This will result in carbon sequestration, increased biodiversity and improved soil health to list only a few of the benefits.

Franco Costantini from certification body Control Union states,

It is encouraging to see the rapid growth of regenagri globally. Adoption of the initiative by leading premium brands such as Citizens of Humanity, AGOLDE and GOLDSIGN is a great indicator of the industry wide move towards regeneratively produced cotton. We are proud to be a part of the process to support The Hardwick Planting Company in their regenerative journey.

Amy Williams, CEO at Citizens of Humanity Group comments,

We are committed to practices and programs that reduce our carbon footprint and are sustainable in every sense of the word. We are incredibly proud to support the Hardwick Family and other U.S. cotton farmers by investing in programs that will improve the health of our soil, our planet, and the people who inhabit it.

For more information about Citizens of Humanity visit https://citizensofhumanity.com, or listen to our May podcast in which we discuss this project. Or to find out more about regenagri certification contact us

Header photo: Jay, Mary, Mead and Marshall Hardwick on their Louisiana farm. Photo credit Taylor Cooley