New record in supply and demand

New and existing clients are seeking to purchase greater amounts of cotton verified through CmiA and CmiA Organic. A total of 600 million CmiA textiles were brought to market, more than doubling volume of Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) from the previous year. The CmiA initiative was established by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), Hamburg/Germany, in 2005. In addition, the number of licensed retail and brand partners has risen by around 30 % in the past 4 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 tons, meaning that 40 % of all cotton produced in Africa is now verified by CmiA. Cotton made in Africa is active in 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and supports around one million small-scale farmers. By harnessing market forces, small-scale farmers are prepared for the growing challenges of climate change and to build up their resilience through innovative and efficient farming methods. 

CmiA has also significantly expanded its textile value chain in recent years. In 2021, the network of registered partners grew to encompass 240 spinning mills throughout the world, making it larger than ever. 

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CmiA follows a licensing model that requires all textile companies to pay licensing fees for CmiA-verified cotton to the initiative, which reinvests the proceeds in cotton-growing regions in Africa. Some of these funds go towards regular certifications that are conducted at the field and ginnery levels by external auditors to monitor compliance with social, economic, and environmental sustainability criteria. External monitoring ensures that exclusion criteria – like prohibitions on irrigation, child labor, genetically modified seeds, and certain pesticides as defined in international conventions – are met and that progress is made on improvement criteria that target issues including soil fertility and gender equality.  

The Aid by Trade Foundation is increasingly investing in measures for adapting to climate change and for reducing the impact of cotton growing and ginning on the climate.