Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) has been officially recognised by Green Button and been confirmed as an accredited source of raw materials for Cradle to Cradle Certified.
Green Button Recognition:
- The CmiA standard has now been officially recognised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which administers Green Button. This recognition pertains to CmiA cotton as a sustainable natural fibre.
- In addition to meeting the human rights and environmental-protection criteria of the government-run textile certification label Green Button 2.0, licensed companies must apply the meta-label approach to prove that they produce their products sustainably.
- This recognition means that over 90 companies would be able to meet meta-label requirements by using cotton from CmiA; without a recognised certification seal, products cannot bear the Green Button label.
- To enable consumers to better navigate the market, Green Button’s meta-label approach recognises only independent, exacting, and relevant certification programmes in the textile sector.
Cradle to Cradle Accreditation:
- The standards organisation Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has also recognised the requirements of the CmiA standard.
- Cradle to Cradle Certified is the global standard for products that are safe, circular, and responsibly made.
- Now, companies can use CmiA cotton produced through the Hard Identity Preserved (HIP) system to meet the Bronze-level requirements in the Material Health category of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard Version 4.0.
- By using CmiA cotton produced through the HIP system in their products, they can also meet the Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold-level requirements in three categories: Product Circularity, Water & Soil Stewardship, and Social Fairness. Mass Balance material may be used to achieve the Gold-level in the two categories of Product Circularity and Water & Soil Stewardship as well.
The Initiative: The Cotton made in Africa initiative (CmiA) was founded in 2005 under the umbrella of the Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF).
- CmiA is an internationally recognised standard for sustainably produced cotton from Africa, connecting African small-scale farmers with trading companies and fashion brands throughout the global textile value chain.
- The initiative’s objective is to employ trade rather than donations to protect nature and improve the living conditions of around one million cotton farmers and their families in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Small-scale farmers and ginnery workers benefit from better working conditions.
- Additional projects in the fields of school education, environmental protection, health, and women’s empowerment support farming communities in improving their living conditions.
