Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), which now certifies about 40% of the cotton produced by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, says demand from the textile industry jumped by 79% over the last year.
According to its latest figures, some 90m products with the CmiA seal of approval were launched in 2017.
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More than 30 retailers and brands from the textile industry purchase and process the sustainable raw material and have exceeded their targets for 2017.
Income from license fees paid by partnering retailers and brands to use the CmiA label was also up by 14% on the previous year at EUR1.7bn. As a result, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) – the supporting organisation behind the CmiA – was financially self-sufficient, managing entirely without public subsidies for the first time.
Meanwhile, about 1,033,500 smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are currently working with CmiA and growing cotton in accordance with the initiative’s sustainability criteria.
And the trend is set to continue in 2018. Additional companies now on board with CmiA include Tendam Global Fashion Retail from Spain, Vlisco from Holland, and Gudrun Sjöden from Sweden.
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By GlobalDataTendam Global Fashion Retail, formerly Grupo Cortefiel, is the first CmiA partner in Spain to sell shirts for men and women with the CmiA seal under the Springfield brand. Beyond using sustainably grown cotton, the company goes one step further – all CmiA labelled products are manufactured in Ethiopia according to the HIP system, which ensures complete transparency at every step in the textile value chain.
In addition, Vlisco Group, the Dutch creator of original, high-quality textiles for the Central and West African markets, is now an official partner of the initiative. Vlisco Group’s factories in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire already use significant quantities of CmiA cotton in the production of the Uniwax, GTP and Woodin brands; the Dutch-produced Vlisco brand will follow suit as of 2019.
The top buyers of CmiA cotton
Among the top buyers in 2017 were the Otto Group with market leader Bonprix, the Rewe Group, Aldi Süd and Tchibo.
Other major customers purchasing CmiA cotton include Engelbert Strauss, Ernsting’s family, ASOS, Bestseller, Armani, s.Oliver and Hakro. Smaller fashion labels like HIITU from Germany, Cooee from Great Britain, Weaverbirds from Denmark and Abaana from Uganda are also making an important contribution by selling an exclusive selection of products made from CmiA cotton, ranging from children’s clothing to high-end fashion textiles.
“Our partners are demonstrating that sustainable cotton can be used worldwide on a very broad basis in the textile industry,” says Tina Stridde, managing director of Cotton made in Africa. “With Cotton made in Africa, textile companies can reconcile sustainability with profitability and contribute to the protection of the environment and to better working and living conditions for African smallholder farmers and their families.”
