The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) has reported positive outcomes from the two-day event which brought together political, scientific, business, and civil society leaders to discuss strategies for sustainable cotton production to address the challenges posed by climate change, especially for small-scale cotton farmers in Africa.
Tina Stridde, managing director of AbTF, emphasised the urgency of finding sustainable business models that protect the environment and secure livelihoods.
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“Climate change is already threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers – and thus also the cultivation of cotton, one of the most important fibres for the textile industry,” Stridde stated.
On the first day of the event, Stridde participated in the HSC event “SMEs, Gamechangers in a Just Transition to Circular and Low-Carbon Economies” with representatives of innovative companies from the Global South. The aim was to show that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and organisers such as the AbTF play a decisive role in establishing sustainable and circular economies.
She stressed that AbTF’s standards have encouraged both a shift in mindset and concrete actions across the global textile industry.
At the conference, AbTF showcased its “Cotton made in Africa” (CmiA) initiative, which is said to be gaining traction within the global textile value chain. Stridde noted that there is a growing demand for CmiA cotton, driven by its sustainable production standards. The conference served as a platform to highlight the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in promoting circular and low-carbon economies.
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By GlobalDataThe second day featured a workshop titled “Harvesting Opportunities: Leveraging the Value-to-Business Approach for Sustainable Solutions,” where industry leaders, including Torsten Stau (executive buying director non-food / indirect spend Rewe Group Buying), Tina Stridde and Francisco Ferreira dos Santos (CEO of the CmiA-verified cotton company San-JFS Cotton Company from Mozambique), discussed the importance of preserving biodiversity and soil quality for future cotton production.
The event’s success, marked by lively discussions and audience engagement, underscored the significance of sustainability in the textile sector.
Stau reflected on the positive momentum generated by the conference and said: “The Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2024 was a significant step towards a more sustainable future. The number of innovative ideas that found a forum here offer inspiration and reason to hope that we can effectively support the global fight against climate change and its consequences.”
