The Aid by Trade Foundation, an international non-profit organization for sustainable raw materials, said it verified a record number of farmers in 2025 under its sustainability and traceability standards.
In its latest annual report, the organization said it has verified more than 715,000 small-scale cotton farmers and 4,100 cashmere farms under its standards, which include Cotton made in Africa (CMIA), CMIA Organic, the Good Cashmere Standard, and the Regenerative Cotton Standard.
The foundation said that in 2025, those 715,000 farmers in 10 African countries cultivating under the CMIA and CMIA Organic standards accounted for 36.4 of all cotton made in Africa. The CMIA program combines ecological advantages of organic cotton cultivation with targeted social and economic support. Aid by Trade also noted that some 43,000 smallholders in four African countries now benefit from participation in CMIA Organic—a 32 percent increase from 2024.
Aid by Trade introduced its Regenerative Cotton Standard in 2023 with the goal of promoting soil health and biodiversity, and the foundation said that program has expanded in India and Tanzania. In Tanzania, the number of RCS participating farmers rose by 87.8 percent in 2025, to a total of around 36,600 farmers.
The organization also reported that more than 2,800 partners in 50 textile production markets now process fiber verified by its various cotton standards, a 3.7 increase from the year prior.
Aid by Trade’s report also noted that it saw record demand for verification according to its Good Cashmere Standard, which focuses on animal welfare for sustainably produced cashmere from Inner Mongolia. In 2025, more than 1.2 million garments were awarded the Good Cashmere Standard label, and the number of participating fashion brands and retailers rose to 71 partners in 13 countries, a year-over-year increase of more than 20 percent.
In addition to those standards, Aid by Trade introduced a new Transparency Standard in 2025 for cotton. This standard was designed to provide an additional layer of independent third-party verification and supply chain assurance. The Transparency Standard builds on the foundation’s established chain-of-custody model and tracking system to provide fashion brands and retailers with verifiable data needed to meet environmental, social and governance standards.
Aid by Trade also reported the results of its CMIA Community Cooperation Program for 2025. By the end of last year, 93 projects such as drilling 218 wells, building 144 classrooms and funding 109 women’s clubs were completed as part of the program. The initiative also helped make it possible for hundreds of thousands of people to access clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, schooling and basic medical care.
The foundation’s report outlined its own financial status, noting a 7.8 million euro revenue for 2025, with 90 percent of that income from business activities and the remaining 10 from donations and grants. The organization spent 5.6 million euros last year, with 65 percent of that going to program implementation and 11 percent to cooperation projects. The remaining expenditures went to management and administration, and marketing, sales and communications costs.
The Aid by Trade Foundation works with a number of notable fashion brands and retailers, such as J. Crew and Nordstrom, helping those companies verify the sustainability of the materials going into their clothing. Foundation founder Michael Otto said this report allows Aid by Trade to convey to those partners and the greater industry the real-life impact behind the standard verification labels on apparel.
“Maintaining credibility, standing by our values, and acting out of conviction are touchstones for the work of the Aid by Trade Foundation,” he said. “One such conviction is that our most pressing global challenges can only be overcome if we protect ecosystems and create greater fairness in world trade. It remains true today, despite all claims to the contrary, and we will hold fast to it, even as the world faces major upheaval. It is no longer a question of whether we need to act but of whether we will do so in time.”
