Climate Beneficial™ Standards
Climate Beneficial™ works to support the transition of whole farms to more ecologically aligned, regionally situated and socially resilient systems. Our Standards Document outlines how we accomplish these goals. Learn more about our tools for measurement and soil testing protocols, practice criteria, outcomes framework, and the governance model and regional partners that ground our work in cotton and wool systems.
Standards Document
Our cotton system Life cycle Assessment is in accordance with ISO 14044 and ISO 14067 standards and has undergone a panel review. The San Joaquin Valley annually cultivates almost 200,000 acres of cotton, contributing significantly to California's status as one of the leading cotton-producing states in the U.S. In response to the environmental impact of prevalent conventional agricultural practices, we aim to re-imagine cotton cultivation in California.
LCA-Backed
Theory of Change
Fibershed’s theory of change is rooted in the belief that fiber systems, when reimagined through a place-based, community-led lens, can become powerful tools to address the connected issues of climate resilience, environmental care, and economic opportunity.
The global textile industry and its counterparts in the food industry are accelerating soil loss (with the exception of those uniquely focused on countering this trend), utilizing fresh water at unsustainable rates, and forcing increasing concentrations of heat trapping gasses into our earth’s atmosphere, generating climate instability. In contrast, we have evidence and time-honored working models that demonstrate the capacity for fiber and food based agriculture to repair damaged working landscapes while revitalizing local economies. Our work begins with land stewards who are members of our own communities. Our team is majority composed of graziers and row crop producers who understand the specific dynamics of farming within place-based contexts. Climate Beneficial™ practices and the verification that is developed from them reflect both ancestral knowledge and modern science. We focus on the implementation of practices that improve soil health, restore water cycles, support local biodiversity, and draw carbon back into living systems. Through in field technical assistance, peer networks, and financial support, we help remove barriers to adoption and ensure that producers are recognized, connected, and fairly compensated for their stewardship
At the same time we strengthen regional fiber economies by investing in local manufacturing, rebuilding textile infrastructure, and cultivating skilled artisan and design communities. These systems offer durable, compostable, and locally traceable alternatives to synthetic and extractive materials, ensuring that what we wear nourishes ecosystems and economies alike.
We convene researchers, designers, brands, and policymakers around a shared vision that resilient and restorative fiber systems are not only possible but essential. Through education, affiliate organizing, and storytelling, we shift cultural values and economic priorities toward soil to soil thinking.
By aligning economic development with ecological health and cultural resilience, Fibershed is helping to build a textile system rooted in reciprocity where fiber supports the people who steward the land and the land in turn supports us all.
