Better Cotton joins an existing partnership between the World Trade Organization (WTO) and football governing body FIFA, which aims to develop raw material production in West and Central Africa.
Better Cotton plans to conduct sustainability mapping and assessments in Mali and Ivory Coast to better support the needs of small-scale cotton farmers.
Funded by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the assessments will enable Better Cotton to assess how they can target and support the production of more sustainable and regenerative cotton.
In February 2024, WTO and FIFA formed a coalition – Partenariat pour le Coton – to accelerate their work in this area. Better Cotton is a member of the group and will help familiarize farmers with the project and its mission to strengthen supply chains in the region.
WTO and FIFA have called for investment in the sector, noting that the current export balance of 90% cotton raw materials does not reflect the region’s economic potential.
Since commodity exports can generate needed revenue, the organizations believe there is scope to increase processing capacity in the region to boost incomes.
Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, commented: “Africa is a vibrant and exciting region for cotton production and our expansion on the continent is testament to this. With cotton farmers, workers and surrounding communities at the heart of our mission, these assessments will help optimize our efforts and pave the way for continued sustainable economic development in Mali and Ivory Coast.”
Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Intra-African Trade Bank Afreximbank, added: “Through initiatives like this, we are committed to supporting Africa’s smallholder farmers and the entire cotton value chain, enabling them to get the most value from their products “We want to achieve higher levels of sustainability and improve quality while prioritizing superior products with global market potential.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the launch of the coalition: “Together with the WTO and other partners, FIFA wants to do something real, concrete, impactful and something that will have an impact on the lives of many people.” We want to create jobs. We want to help in the fight against poverty. We want to empower women – especially in these countries – and we have to pursue and promote that.”
Better Cotton recently released an independent audit after allegations that its sustainably certified cotton was linked to Brazilian farms allegedly involved in illegal deforestation, which non-profit investigative firm Earthsight described as “almost worthless.”
“Better Cotton to Scale Sustainable Cotton in West, Central Africa” was originally created and published by Just Style, a brand owned by GlobalData.
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