Avery Dennison Supports Sustainable African Cotton Campaign By Supplying Labels

Pasadena, Calif.-based Avery Dennison’s Germany-based Information and Brand Management Division (IBMD) has contracted with the Germany-based Aid by Trade Foundation to supply labels to all apparel retailers and brands participating in the Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) textile marketing project to promote products made with sustainably produced, socially responsible cotton grown by small farm holders in Africa.

Avery Dennison is one of some 20 large commercial organizations and manufacturers participating in the CmiA program. The company will provide all woven labels and cardboard tags for all textile apparel bearing the CmiA logo, which shows a stylized cotton plant and the Cotton made in Africa lettering. Participating European brands and companies include such names as Puma, Otto Group, Tchibo, Tom Tailor and others. The foundation plans to expand the program to include US apparel brands and retail stores in 2009.

The CmiA project is dedicated to helping small cotton farmers in Africa gain access to large textile manufacturers and consumers in the West. The project will provide opportunities for sustainable production in impoverished areas to meet the demands of environmentally and socially aware and quality-conscious consumers, and also will promote conditions that will allow the children in those areas to go to school.

August 20, 2008