World Water Day: Cotton made in Africa Saves About 63 Billion Litres of Water

21.03.2018

In many parts of the world cotton is artificially irrigated. On global average, cotton uses more than 2,100 litres of water per kilogram.1 Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) does it differently. CmiA is sustainable cotton from Africa that is cultivated with the exclusive use of rainwater. Through the volume of cotton traded as CmiA in 2017, approximately 63 billion litres of water have been saved – enough to supply about one million people in Germany with water for an entire year. This amount is about the population of Munich.2


“In conventional farming cotton is sometimes watered heavily,” says Tina Stridde, Managing Director of the Aid by Trade Foundation. “This can have extreme consequences for our ecosystem and for the availability of water as a vital resource – especially in regions that are already extremely arid. Through rain-fed cultivation, Cotton made in Africa plays a significant role in protecting the environment”, continues Stridde.
In a global comparison, CmiA-certified cotton saves more than 2,100 litres of water per kilogram of cotton, since only rainwater is used in cultivation. This corresponds to about 500 litres of water per T-shirt.
In order to provide additional support for people in the CmiA cotton growing regions, Cotton made in Africa realises projects to foster the availability of clean drinking water, hygiene measures and sanitary facilities. Illness caused by contaminated drinking water is a frequent problem, as Melisiana Machibia reports. The cotton farmer from Tanzania says: “Before the borehole was built, we had to walk 4 kilometres to the nearest water station every day. During the rainy season, we only got water from contaminated water sources and often got ill.”
Germany has plenty of water, and clean drinking water is always available. Many parts of the world however suffer from extreme aridity. Water is a luxurious good and clean drinking water is rarely available. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 30% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa does not have access to clean drinking water.

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[1] Source: PE International

[2] Daily water consumption in Germany in 2016 was 123 litres per capita (source: statista).

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