Cotton made in Africa Launches Public Consultation for Standard Revision
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Hamburg, 19 September 2025. 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.
The public consultation on the draft of CmiA Standard Vol. 5.0 will run from 19 September to 17 November 2025. This revision revolves around three elements in particular. The first is precision, with indicators being reduced in number and reformulated to be more concise and easier to understand. Secondly, the standard’s objectives are being reprioritised, for instance, through new or reformulated indicators that strengthen biodiversity, climate change resilience, or cooperation between cotton companies and farmers. The third point of focus is to ensure that indicators for human rights and risk management meet the increasingly strict requirements regarding due diligence and corporate sustainability reporting.
“Having received valuable feedback on CmiA Standard Version 4.0 from partners and stakeholders in recent months, we look forward to hearing the public response to our draft of Version 5.0,” says Alexandra Perschau, the head of the Standards & Outreach Department of AbTF, adding, “If this topic interests you, this is an excellent opportunity to actively participate in shaping our approach to supporting small-scale farmers producing cotton in Africa, to protecting biodiversity, and to giving companies access to the sustainable resources they need to fulfil their due diligence obligations.”
How the Revision Process Works
The revision of the standard started in the spring of this year, with a two-day workshop in which partners and stakeholders in Côte d’Ivoire provided important input. Also taken into account were verification results from the last few years as well as additional findings from monitoring and evaluation processes and from innovations in sustainable cotton cultivation. After receiving feedback from the public consultation and from the technical advisory group, the approval of the AbTF Board of Trustees will be sought; if granted, Version 5.0 will enter into force in 2026.
How to Participate
Public interest groups are invited to provide online feedback on the draft of CmiA Standard Vol. 5.0 between 19 September and 17 November 2025. A copy of the draft can be downloaded here. General feedback can be sent to standards@abt-foundation.org. To provide detailed feedback on specific standard requirements, an Excel version of CmiA Standard Vol. 5 is available through the online platform indicated above.
Press Contact
Christina Ben Bella, e-mail: christina.benbella@abt-foundation.org Holger Diedrich, e-mail: holger.diedrich@abt-foundation.org
Aid by Trade Foundation | Gurlittstraße 14 | 20099 Hamburg | Germany
About Cotton made in Africa
Cotton made in Africa© (CmiA) is an internationally recognised standard for sustainably produced cotton. The largest such standard in Africa, it enables transparent traceability from cotton bale to textile. It is 100 percent GMO-free and maintains a clear focus on protecting human rights as well as biodiversity, soil, and water. More than 30 percent of African cotton is verified under CmiA or CmiA Organic. Over 60 textile companies and fashion brands—from Bestseller to OTTO—use CmiA cotton, enabling around 800,000 small-scale farmers to practise ecologically and economically resilient agriculture, to improve their families’ living standards, and to protect our planet’s ecosystems. In addition, CmiA invests in rural communities through projects in the areas of education, environmental protection, health, and women’s empowerment. CmiA is one of four sustainability standards under the umbrella of the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), a Hamburg-based foundation established by Prof. Dr Michael Otto. Learn more at: cottonmadeinafrica.org
About the Aid by Trade Foundation
Founded by the entrepreneur Prof. Dr Michael Otto in 2005, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is an internationally renowned non-profit organisation that works throughout the world to promote sustainable raw materials. Its work makes a decisive and measurable contribution to improving the living conditions of people and animals while protecting the environment. With its verified raw materials Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA), Cotton made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic), Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS) and The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS), the foundation is putting its goals into practice. In view of the increasing challenges posed to small farmers and textile companies by the consequences of climate change and market shifts, the standards are of fundamental importance for their resilience and sustainability. The foundation works in close cooperation with industry experts and with specialists in animal and nature protection. More information at: www.aidbytrade.org
