AbTF and Better Cotton to make joint projects for African farmers

Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) and Better Cotton have started a new collaboration for greater impact. The set-up between the two organisations will be focused on creating joint projects for smallholder farmers in Africa. They will get funding from both public and private donors to support the work. Better Cotton is a leading cotton sustainability programme.

These projects will likely address areas of common interest such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, soil fertility, biodiversity, women’s empowerment, and child labour.

In 2012, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), an initiative of the AbTF, and Better Cotton entered into a strategic partnership agreement based on the successful benchmarking of the two standards which enabled CmiA verified cotton companies to sell their CmiA-verified cotton as Better Cotton and allowed textile companies and traders to demand the sustainably produced Cotton made in Africa cotton as Better Cotton.

Since the initial agreement, both organisations have grown and evolved significantly, Better Cotton said in a press release.

Therefore, AbTF and Better Cotton have decided to end their current agreement and enter into a new form of cooperation that allows for more flexibility and innovation.

Together, they recognise that they can make the biggest impact through concrete projects that create lasting benefits for people and the environment. In line with this, the sale of CmiA-verified cotton as Better Cotton will be discontinued at the end of 2022.

AbTF and Better Cotton remain united in their shared goal of making cotton cultivation more sustainable for farming communities and the environment, while providing the global textile sector opportunities to integrate an ecologically, economically and socially sound raw material into their sourcing practices.

“The partnership was a joint effort that brought greater sustainability to the cotton and textile industry whilst helping to protect nature and create economic and social benefits for smallholder farmers and ginnery workers.

We appreciate the open exchange of views, ideas and issues of special interest with Better Cotton; it is obvious that both organisations have common goals. CmiA has grown strong over the last years. We are looking forward to continuing to pursue our endeavours for sustainable cotton production in a new form,” Tina Stridde, managing director of AbTF said in a statement.

“The initial partnership between Better Cotton and AbTF represented a ground-breaking collaboration between standards organisations at the time. Together, we have supported more than a million smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa and connected them to the ever-increasing demand for more sustainable cotton.

Now is the time to re-imagine how we can use our individual strengths to create even more impact together. We look forward to this new form of collaboration moving forward,” Lena Staafgard, chief operating officer at Better Cotton said.