After 10 years of fruitful partnership, Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) and Better Cotton are establishing a new form of collaboration for greater impact. The new set-up between the two organizations will be focused on creating joint projects for smallholder farmers in Africa. 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. They will seek funding from both public and private donors to support the work.
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. 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.
