Aid by Trade Foundation Expands Physical Traceability of CmiA Cotton to 25 Countries

The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) has reported progress in expanding physical traceability for Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) cotton across its partner network. Around 700 suppliers and producers in 25 countries can now trace CmiA cotton from finished products back to its origin, more than twice the number recorded in the previous year.

“As a standards organisation, our mission is to ensure transparency throughout global supply chains,” says Tina Stridde, the managing director of the Aid by Trade Foundation, explaining, “The physical traceability of Cotton made in Africa cotton, one of the world’s leadings standards for verified cotton that respects human rights and biodiversity, is very important for textile companies and fashion brands. It ensures that social and environmental criteria are adhered to during cotton production and that their customers can make informed purchasing decisions. It also prevents greenwashing because audits create full transparency that the verified cotton is used.”

Companies already applying the system include Bestseller, the Otto Group, OVS, Primark, and the Rewe Group.

Through cooperation with the Aid by Trade Foundation, textile companies of different sizes, from fashion brands to retailers, can market products verified as using Cotton made in Africa or Cotton made in Africa Organic from field to shelf. This includes traceability from bale to yarn, fabric, and final textile product. The approach also supports compliance with regulatory and due diligence requirements while reducing legal risk.

The REWE Group, a long-term partner, has achieved full traceability of CmiA cotton used in its private label products by the end of 2025. “We have reached our goal and were able to fully trace the Cotton made in Africa cotton used in our private label products back to its origin by the end of 2025," says Torsten Stau, Executive Buying Director Non Food / Indirect Spend REWE Group. "The transparency system of the Aid by Trade Foundation enables us to clearly prove the origin and ensure that the cotton comes from African small-scale farmers who produce under recognized social and environmental standards. In this way, we are further increasing transparency along the entire supply chain, strengthen customer trust, and at the same time make a direct contribution to supporting the people in cultivation.”

The Aid by Trade Foundation works closely with suppliers and producers worldwide to maintain physical traceability. This cooperation is based on the Hard Identity Preserved (HIP) chain of custody model, which has been in place since 2008. The HIP system enables cotton to be traced consistently from finished textile products back to their origin and is applied across all cotton-producing countries where AbTF operates.

To date, around 33,000 tonnes of physically traceable CmiA cotton have been processed globally into approximately 190 million textile items. About 700 spinning mills, fabric manufacturers, and textile producers in 25 countries currently operate under the HIP requirements, with participation continuing to expand.

From March 2026, the Transparency Standard will become mandatory for all partners seeking to verify that their products contain CmiA cotton. Introduced in spring last year, the standard includes digital transaction documents (DTDs) and risk-based desktop audits conducted by independent, ISO-accredited audit firms. Following its implementation, the Aid by Trade Foundation plans to extend the Transparency Standard to cashmere fibres verified under The Good Cashmere Standard® starting in 2027.