The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), known for its cotton standards Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and Cotton made in Africa Organic, has expanded its offering to include the Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS). This is intended to offer both textile companies and cotton farmers a holistic new approach to respond to the growing challenges in the cotton and textile industry.
Specifically, the Regenerative Cotton Standard is intended to help small farmers be more resilient to the consequences of climate change and to offer companies a solution to make the production of cotton, as an essential raw material for their textiles, more future-proof. FashionUnited wanted to know more about how the RCS combines the knowledge already gained from the AbTF cotton standards with new approaches in the field of regenerative agriculture and spoke to Tina Stridde, Managing Director of the Aid by Trade Foundation.
How should we imagine the introduction of the new standard? Can small farmers who are already part of CmiA join it and expand their practices accordingly? How many of them will the RCS affect?
The Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS) is open to both existing and new partners. On the one hand, cotton companies that are already CmiA-certified can decide to introduce the Regenerative Cotton Standard. To do this, they and the small farmers they work with must adapt to the requirements of the RCS. On the other hand, cotton companies for which CmiA is still new can introduce the Regenerative Cotton Standard and seek corresponding certification.
How is the knowledge of small farmers integrated, are there regular meetings and training sessions?
First, consultations will be held for each farming community in which the RCS is to be implemented, in which small farmers will familiarize themselves with the topic of regenerative agriculture and discuss with the cotton society where they see the greatest challenges. These could be the effects of climate change, for example.
Building on this, a relevance analysis and a prioritization process takes place with the involvement of small farmers. We work together to determine which RCS criteria are particularly important for the managing entity with which the Aid by Trade Foundation works locally and which are particularly important for small farmers. This is used to define where something has to happen in a timely manner and for which criteria it is sufficient if the cotton company reports transparently about the status quo. This process helps everyone involved to provide clarity and orientation about the process.
The knowledge and experiences of small farmers are taken into account when planning implementation strategies and measures. Because they are the ones who know their land and the regional flora and fauna best and who already know what might work under what conditions and how best to implement it.
Based on this, the implementation is then planned and the training required for this is organized. The form and rhythm of the meetings and training courses as well as their structure are planned directly between the cotton companies and their affiliated small farmers.
What exactly are the practices used, for example in terms of soil cultivation, promoting plant diversity and preventing water seepage?
The Regenerative Cotton Standard includes a total of ten principles. These include, for example, the improved resilience of small farmers to the effects of climate change, the restoration of soil health, and climate and animal protection. Responsible management of certified partners such as cotton companies and community engagement are fundamental to the standard.
The focus is on small farmers and the integration of their rich traditional knowledge. As always in regenerative agriculture, the practices used to enforce these principles are very context specific. Maybe compost works particularly well in one farming community, others are interested in tree planting and biochar production, or a group wants to keep bees.
In any case, the measures aim to increase the organic material in and above the soil, as well as greater diversity in crop rotation, including mixed crops, in order to ensure more soil health, but also more resilience of small farmers against crop failures care for. Various techniques can also be used to ensure that rainwater is retained in the landscape and evaporates less quickly.
Will livestock farming and agriculture also be integrated?
And where small farmers also keep livestock, it is encouraged that they can graze in the fields whenever there is no fruit. Efforts will also be made to identify foreign invasive species and control them when they displace native plant and animal species.
Will pesticides and synthetic fertilizers be further minimized?
The strict guidelines regulating the use of pesticides at CmiA continue to apply and are being expanded. In addition, as with CmiA, gradual replacement with biological plant protection products is encouraged. In addition, diversification measures and the promotion of beneficial insects should ensure a better balance in the field, which is expected to reduce pest pressure in cotton and other crops.
When it comes to fertilizers, care is first taken to ensure that small farmers actually fertilize. This is not always the case yet, but at the same time it is important for healthy plant growth. Care is taken to ensure that small farmers firstly fertilize correctly and secondly use the most natural cycles possible for fertilization (e.g. manure, composted cotton residues, legumes, etc.). This makes them independent of external fertilizer purchases and at the same time increases soil health.
You mentioned an online tracking system that creates transparency across the entire value chain. How would you describe that? Is this accessible to consumers or to brands and retailers?
The Aid by Trade Foundation has gained extensive experience with tracking systems over the years of its existence. In order to guarantee that only RCS-certified cotton is processed into yarns and then into textiles, the specially developed tracking system SCOT is used.
For full transparency and complete traceability of all RCS-labeled products along the supply chain, the Hard Identity Preserved variant in the SCOT system – HIP for short – is used. Based on documents and photos, it makes the use of RCS cotton transparent throughout the entire supply chain and requires that the certified cotton is physically separated from other cotton throughout the entire processing process.
This starts with the cotton ginning plant, through the spinning mill, which must prove that it only used RCS-certified cotton for yarn production, and ends with the retailer, who has placed an order for the production of textiles with RCS-certified cotton. However, it’s not just documents that are uploaded; Each transaction is confirmed by the respective direct business partner in the system.
How is the RCS marked, is there a special label/label?
You can recognize products that contain certified RCS cotton by the Regenerative Cotton Standard label. Only our contractual partners receive the right to use RCS-certified cotton and to label it accordingly on their products. By purchasing such a labeled product, consumers are making an important contribution to change in the fashion industry, because the Regenerative Cotton Standard improves the resilience and productivity of small-scale farming and at the same time creates added value for agricultural land, rural communities, the biosphere and the Quality of life of farm animals.
This conversation was conducted in written form by FashionUnited.