Iconic American denim brand Wrangler has launched a pilot program to help US cotton farmers reach the next level in sustainable growing practices.

Wrangler purchases roughly half of the cotton for its products from US growers. The brand is working with a cotton growing family to explore the best way to implement and measure the effects of robust soil practices like no-till, crop rotation and cover cropping.

The family will work with Wrangler to unlock further improvements in cotton yield, irrigation water, energy inputs, greenhouse gas emissions and soil conservation. Forty-thousand pounds of the cotton will be used to make a special collection of Wrangler denim jeans that will be sold in 2018.

Wrangler hopes to have dozens of growers in the program within a few years.

Greater attention to soil health can further reduce the water and energy inputs required to grow cotton and other crops. The pilot program builds on Wrangler’s long-standing commitment to supporting US farming communities.

Wrangler’s sustainability work is focused on three areas: land, people and industry. In addition to the cotton pilot project and soil health education, other programs include a commitment to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025, zero waste facilities and manufacturing and technology improvements that have saved three billion liters of water over the past decade.