Bumper year for Cotton made in Africa
26/05/2022
The number of licensed retail and brand partners has risen by around 30% in the past four years and now encompasses some of the world’s biggest retail and fashion chains, including Bestseller, Lidl, LPP and the Otto Group.
The production of CmiA-verified cotton also grew by 10%, to 690,000 tonnes, meaning 40% of cotton produced in Africa is now verified by CmiA.
CmiA is active in 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and supports around one million small-scale farmers.
Tina Stridde, managing director of the Aid by Trade Foundation, which administers Cotton made in Africa, said: “This year’s record levels of supply and demand for Cotton made in Africa underline how widely accepted sustainable raw materials have become in international value chains.
“Textile companies worldwide as well as cotton companies in all of Sub-Saharan Africa have joined our initiative as reliable and strong partners for small-scale farmers. Together, we have been able to ensure that CmiA and CmiA Organic cotton enjoy worldwide demand and are processed in over 50 textile production markets.
“By harnessing market forces, we are able to prepare small-scale farmers for the growing challenges of climate change and to build up their resilience through innovative and efficient farming methods.”
CmiA works with small-scale farmers in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria as well as in Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Togo and Ghana.
Earlier this year, it announced that due to the evolving nature of the 10-year partnership between Aid by Trade Foundation and Better Cotton (formerly known as the Better Cotton Initiative or BCI), the sale of CmiA-verified cotton as Better Cotton will end at the close of this year.
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