corsus develops cotton Life Cycle Assessments for cotton made in Africa (CmiA)
https://www.corsus.de/en/news/references/cotton-life-cycle-assessments-for-cotton-made-in-africa-cmia/corsus creates Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) for the cotton production and producers participating in “Cotton made in Africa (CmiA)”, one of the world’s leading standards for sustainably produced cotton. Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) sets the standard and commissions periodic reviews of the environmental impact of cotton production according to CmiA standard to jointly improve cultivation conditions with local farmers. The standard aims to improve the living and working conditions of local small-scale farmers through a ‘help for self-help’ approach by using trade instead of donations and by promoting environmental protection.
The project launched in March 2026, starting with the development of multilingual questionnaires for data collection. The cultivation data is currently collected from producers across ten participating countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia). On this basis, corsus models the cotton production and assesses environmental impacts while considering climate change, water scarcity and impacts on biodiversity. Daniel Thylmann, an expert in LCA of cotton supports corsus. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
According to the AbTF, “revenue from cotton trade […] accounts for half of the income of smallholder farmers and their families in many countries within the region”. Therefore, the cotton production plays an important role in combatting poverty in the cultivating countries. Protecting soil, water, air, biodiversity, and the climate helps improve the long-term livelihoods and economic resilience of smallholder farmers.
The Aid by Trade Foundation and corsus are committed to sustainable agriculture and fair supply chains; therefore we are particularly delighted to be working together once again.
corsus is partners for sustainable agricultural systems
Sustainable agricultural systems are essential for a healthy planet. corsus supports policymakers, municipalities, institutions, and companies in developing and implementing environmentally friendly, health-promoting, ethically responsible, and practical agricultural production that fosters socio-cultural diversity.
