African cotton gains new sustainability credentials
Cotton produced under the Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) scheme – rooted in Sub-Saharan Africa, but administered by Hamburg’s Aid by Trade Foundation – has been bolstered by a further two sustainability standards.
CmiA fibre can now bear the Green Button 2.0 certification seal, after meeting the label’s criteria for both human rights and environmental protection. The mark is run by BMZ, a cabinet-level federal ministry for economic cooperation and development inside the German government.
Likewise, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which manages the Cradle to Cradle certification standard for safe, circular and responsibly made products, has confirmed that cotton traceable via CmiA's own Hard Identity Preserved system meets its bronze-level requirements for material health to product standard version 4.0. The raw material also meets the institute's gold-level requirements for product circularity, social fairness, and water and soil stewardship.
In July, CmiA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Liverpool-based International Cotton Association to enable closer collaboration in working towards shared goals.
Image: CmiA.
