#Raw Materials

AbTF publishes independent verification results for Cotton made in Africa’s standards

The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is releasing the latest edition of its annual, aggregated report on the verification and implementation of Cotton made in Africa (CmiA). This report demonstrates AbTF’s continued commitment to transparency in 2024 and offers the public insight into how its partners in Africa are implementing the requirements of the CmiA and CmiA Organic standards. The published figures pertain to the production of CmiA and CmiA Organic cotton during the last season. They show results ranging from good to very good for all four of CmiA’s sustainability pillars: management, people, planet, and prosperity.
Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) was founded in 2005 under the umbrella of the Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) © 2024 CmiA
Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) was founded in 2005 under the umbrella of the Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) © 2024 CmiA

In 2023, 23 verifications were conducted—including 13 at the field level and ten in cotton ginneries (which represent the first step in processing the raw material)—at 20 cotton companies in eleven countries south of the Sahara. Verification results showed that partners had made significant improvements since 2022, for instance earning excellent scores in terms of small-scale farmers’ access to high-quality inputs and to pre-financing for the same as well as in terms of cotton fibre quality. Excellent scores were also awarded for criteria related to transparency in the supply chain, including compliance with traceability requirements for CmiA cotton in the chain, a transparent classification and payment system for seed cotton, and timely payments to CmiA-contracted farmers.

Dignified working conditions and support for small-scale farmers were evaluated as “very good”, due in part to the emphasis placed on protecting the rights and health of employees and labourers through appropriate working hours. Regarding environmental aspects, CmiA cotton continues to be cultivated strictly without genetically modified seeds and without irrigation using surface water or groundwater. “Verifications ensure the credibility of our standards. The latest results clearly show that our close collaboration with local partners, some of whom we have worked with for years, is making cotton cultivation in Africa better and more attractive in the long term. Through our wide and varied training programme, we will continue doing everything we can to build up the adaptability and resilience of small-scale farmers and their systems,” comments Elena Wahrenberg, the CmiA verification manager at the Aid by Trade Foundation.

In the 2022/2023 season, around 900,000 CmiA cotton farmers worked 1.7 million hectares of land in accordance with CmiA or CmiA Organic, producing a total of approximately 508,000 tonnes of ginned cotton for the global textile industry, which is enough cotton for around a billion t-shirts.

In addition to the verification results, the report also focusses on various projects and events through which AbTF worked with verified cotton companies to support small-scale farmers and to implement the standards’ requirements in 2023. For example, the Aid by Trade Foundation increased investment in innovation and communication with the aim of supporting its partners in implementing the standards’ requirements.

Multilateral collaborations—including the recently established Innovations Club, the CAR-iSMa project for promoting adaptation to climate change, and the development of the organic cotton sector in Benin—played a key role in achieving success, as did regional workshops, interdisciplinary professional development activities, and cotton-specific training for farmers. This approach will be maintained in 2024, and investment will be made in further developing communication and training formats in order to sustain and refine the quality of the results. A priority in this regard will be adapting to climate change’s effects on agriculture.

Through regular verifications, independent third parties assess the implementation of the CmiA standards’ requirements in cotton fields and ginneries. The cotton companies that work together with the Aid by Trade Foundation in accordance with the requirements of the CmiA standards commit themselves to engaging in responsible business practices, observing CmiA values, continually improving their CmiA performance, and implementing effective management systems. Their success in upholding these commitments is evaluated by independent third parties on an ongoing basis through the verification process. Following the extensive revision the Cotton made in Africa standard underwent in 2020, the 2023 Aggregated Verification & Implementation Report is the second report to analyse the field- and ginnery-level implementation of CmiA Standard Vol. 4.

https://cottonmadeinafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/Aggregated-Report-2023.pdf


More News from Cotton made in Africa (CmiA)

#Natural Fibers

Cotton made in Africa launches public consultation for standard revision

The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is opening public consultation on its Cotton made in Africa standard today. Interested parties will have 60 days to provide feedback, helping shape the future of one of the world’s largest standards for sustainable cotton. The latest update to the standard, Version 5.0, focusses on increasing Cotton made in Africa’s effectiveness and adapting its criteria and indicators to external factors, which currently include biodiversity loss and a growing set of reporting requirements for companies.

#Raw Materials

EUR 2.8 million project for climate-resilient agriculture in Africa

Healthy soils, responsible water use, and biodiversity conservation are central to the efforts of the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) to make African cotton production more resilient to climate change. AbTF has opened new doors for small-scale farming families in Africa through a EUR 2.8 million project for climate-resilient cotton cultivation. Over the last three years, more than 100,000 farmers in Africa were involved in testing various soil improvement measures, with encouraging results: yields on demonstration sites increased significantly, despite the effects of climate change.

#Raw Materials

Cotton farmers in Benin benefit from organic cotton cultivation

Launched three years ago with EUR 1 million in total volume, a project called “Growing Benin’s Organic Cotton Sector” aimed to support small-scale farmers in transitioning to organic cotton cultivation in accordance with the Cotton made in Africa Organic standard, to avoid the use of synthetic pesticides, and to further develop the organic cotton sector, thereby securing the future of farming communities. The project has proved a success as participating cotton farmers are benefiting from higher incomes.

#Raw Materials

Cotton made in Africa supports the development of West African textile production in Benin

The West African country of Benin is well on its way to establishing itself as a new procurement and production hub for textiles and clothing; these efforts include having locally produced cotton made into textiles for the global market. The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is supporting this development through Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), one of its sustainability standards, which not only provides a sustainable and local basis for textile production but also facilitates access to international markets. Recently, a delegation of AbTF visited the CmiA project country of Benin for a first-hand look at the progress being made.

More News on Raw Materials

#Natural Fibers

Fashion For Good launches “Beyond50 Denim” to address hemp integration barriers in global denim production

Fashion for Good, together with leading global brands BESTSELLER, C&A, PDS Limited, Reformation, and Target, launched Beyond50 Denim: Combining Cottonised Hemp and Green Chemistry, a project accelerating the use of hemp as an alternative to conventional cotton in denim. By combining two pioneering innovations (SEFF’s Nano-Pulse™ cottonised hemp fibres and FIBRE52™’s proprietary chemistry formulations with soft handfeel), the project seeks to demonstrate that hemp-based denim can match or even surpass cotton in both performance and appeal.

#Raw Materials

Spinnova and Rieter to publish a yarn spinning guideline for industrial partners

Spinnova and Rieter have published a comprehensive yarn spinning guideline for industrial partners, detailing how to produce compact yarn from SPINNOVA® fibre using Rieter’s state-of-the-art machinery. The step-by-step guide outlines key considerations at each stage of the spinning process and is available upon request.

#Raw Materials

Evonik and AMSilk extend partnership for sustainable biotech silk materials

Evonik and AMSilk, a global leader in advanced biomaterials based on silk proteins, have deepened their collaboration with a long-term agreement to produce sustainable silk proteins at industrial scale. Building on their initial manufacturing agreement from 2023, the companies have commissioned a manufacturing line at Evonik’s Slovakian site for AMSilk’s high-performance silk. This innovative biomaterial is produced with minimal environmental impact and is designed for use in premium fashion and highly demanding automotive interiors.

#Raw Materials

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories to launch operations at new Southeast Asia production facility this week

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“Company” or “Kraig Labs”), a world leader in spider silk technology*, announces that it will begin operations this week at its newest production facility. This milestone marks the launch of the first full production cycle at the site. This production site was secured earlier this summer through an agreement with a government agency in Southeast Asia.

Latest News

#ITM 2026

The Address of innovation and investment in textile technologies: ITM 2026

Sales for ITM 2026, one of the world’s most comprehensive and prestigious exhibitions in textile technologies, are continuing at full steam. The record number of exhibitors and visitors achieved at ITM 2024 once again proved the industry’s confidence and the commercial success of the exhibition; meanwhile, the strong interest shown in ITM 2026, to be held on 9-13 June 2026, has far exceeded expectations.

#Knitting & Hosiery

STOLL in focus:

At the beginning of this year, KARL MAYER announced that it would be shifting its focus back to its core areas of warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles. As part of this strategic realignment, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand will be discontinued. The Reutlingen plant will close down on 31 October 2025. Production in China will end in December 2025. This was an extremely difficult decision for KARL MAYER.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

RECOVER™ Central America wins Textile Exchange’s Climate and Nature Impact Award for Textile-To-Textile Partnership

Recover™ and Intradeco have been named winners of the Climate and Nature Impact Award for Textile-to-Textile Partnership at the 2025 Textile Exchange Conference in Lisbon.

#Heimtextil 2026

Heimtextil 2026 strengthens the global home textile industry with trends, designs and AI technologies

With an optimised hall layout, progressive design collaborations, inspiring trends and AI-driven innovations, Heimtextil 2026 reacts to the current market situation – and offers the industry a reliable constant in challenging times. Under the motto ‘Lead the Change’, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles and textile design shows how challenges can be turned into opportunities. From 13 to 16 January, more than 3,100 exhibitors from 65 countries will provide a comprehensive market overview with new collections and textile solutions. As a knowledge hub, Heimtextil delivers new strategies and concrete solutions for future business success.

TOP