Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference USA

3rd - 4th June 2026

New York City, USA

Liz Hershfield

Executive Director

COTTON USA™ and U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

Liz Hershfield is the Executive Director of COTTON USA™, the export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America (NCC).

She joined COTTON USA™  in April 2025. As a non-profit agricultural trade association, COTTON USA™ advances the global reputation and demand for U.S. cotton by promoting its premium value as the preferred fiber for mills, manufacturers, brands, retailers, and consumers worldwide.  Liz is also Co-Director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, where she leads the organization’s global market development and supply chain teams.

With more than 30 years in the fashion industry, Liz has built deep expertise in sustainability, global sourcing, product development, and end-to-end supply chain strategy—alongside a long-standing commitment to U.S. cotton.

She has led transformative supply chain and sustainability initiatives at globally recognized brands including J.Crew, Madewell, Bonobos, and Old Navy, and later founded Green-ish, a consultancy guiding businesses through the complexities of ESG and supply chain management.

Her leadership and vision for sustainable fashion have been widely recognized. Liz received the Textile Exchange Ryan Young Climate+ Award for pioneering a regenerative cotton program that directly supported U.S. cotton farmers. She has also been honored with The Lead’s “The Direct 60” award and named to the Rivet 50 Index for her influence in the denim industry.

Liz's sessionsView full agenda

Day 0

Time
Session title
Session type
Day 1

Time
Session title
Session type
10:00 - 10:40
Plenary
10:40 - 11:20
11:20 - 12:00
Collapsing the E and S in ESG: Protecting workers’ rights in the push to net-zero 
Sourcing Journal | Global Labor Institute, Cornell University ILR School | Fair Labor Association
Case study
12:30 - 13:30
13:30 - 14:15
14:15 - 15:00
15:00 - 15:45
16:15 - 17:00
17:00 - 18:00
Day 2

Time
Session title
Session type
10:00 - 10:45
The reality of resale, repair, rental: Can circular business models actually scale to compete with the linear system? 
Nuuly | Tersus Solutions | GUESS inc. | Yale University | Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Plenary
10:45 - 11:15
11:15 - 12:00
Plenary
12:00 - 12:30
Regenerative cotton: If it really is a win-win for all, why is it not more widespread? 
Spruell Farms | Victoria's Secret & Co | COTTON USA™ and U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
Case study
12:30 - 13:30
13:30 - 15:00
15:00 - 15:30
Key takeaways and closing remarks 
Parsons School of Design