Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), an initiative for sustainable African cotton, has been officially recognized by Green Button, is an acknowledged source of raw materials for Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified products. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which oversees Green Button, has now formally recognized the CmiA standard. This acknowledgment relates to CmiA cotton as a natural fiber that is sustainable.

According to a CmiA press release, approved businesses must use the meta-label strategy to demonstrate that they create their products sustainably, in addition to adhering to the human rights and environmental protection standards of the government-run textile certification label Green Button 2.0.

Because to this recognition, more than 90 businesses can now use cotton from CmiA to satisfy meta-label standards. Products cannot display the Green Button mark if they do not possess a recognized certification seal. Green Button's meta-label methodology recognizes only independent, rigorous, and pertinent certification programs in the textile industry to help consumers navigate the market.

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a standards body, acknowledged the CmiA standard's requirements almost simultaneously. The global benchmark for products that are secure, circular, and ethically produced is C2C certified. In order to satisfy the bronze-level requirements in the material health category of the C2C certified product standard version 4.0, businesses can utilize CmiA cotton produced using the Hard Identity Preserved (HIP) technology.

They can also satisfy the C2C certified gold-level requirements in three categories, including product circularity, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness, by using CmiA cotton grown through the HIP system in their products. According to the announcement, mass balance materials can also be used to reach the gold standard in the two categories of product circularity and water and soil stewardship.

As a result of these advancements, CmiA is now able to provide businesses with the raw ingredients they require to produce clothing and textiles that adhere to two additional rigorous sustainability standards.