Cotton Made in Africa Receives ‘Excellent’ Rating in Siegelklarheit Assessment
The sustainability standard achieved 100% of minimum criteria for credibility and social compatibility, along with an 88% score in the environmental category under the Sustainability Standards Comparison Tool.
Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) has received the top rating of “Excellent” following a comprehensive update of Germany’s Siegelklarheit sustainability label platform. The revised evaluation system expands the platform’s rating scale from two to five levels, aiming to provide consumers with more detailed and reliable information about sustainability labels.
The assessment evaluates sustainability standards across credibility, environmental and social criteria. CmiA’s latest results place it among the highest-rated standards for verified cotton under the updated evaluation system.
CmiA Scores Highly in Sustainability Assessment
The evaluation of Cotton made in Africa was based on the Sustainability Standards Comparison Tool (SSCT). According to the assessment, CmiA meets 100% of all minimum criteria for credibility and social compatibility and achieves 88% in the environmental category.
The SSCT provides a systematic approach to assessing and comparing sustainability labels. Its development involved more than 200 national and international experts from federal institutions, standard organisations, academia, business and civil society.
Organisations involved in its development include the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the ISEAL Alliance. International agreements, including those of the International Labour Organization (ILO), provide a fundamental basis for the evaluation.
Siegelklarheit Updates Its Rating System
Siegelklarheit has reviewed sustainability labels for consumers since 2015. The latest update introduces a five-level rating scale, replacing the previous two-level system to distinguish more clearly between sustainability labels with different requirements for credibility, environmental performance and social responsibility.
The revised system is intended to make the platform more informative and consumer-friendly, helping shoppers make more informed decisions when comparing sustainability labels.
Background on Siegelklarheit
The Siegelklarheit information platform is operated by Verbraucherzentrale NRW (Consumer Association of North Rhine-Westphalia). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Cotton made in Africa had previously received the rating “Very good choice” under the platform’s earlier evaluation system.