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SCC contributes

to cotton production

by Tanya Aucamp, Cotton Cluster

t has been almost five years since the Southern African Sustainable Textile and
Cotton SA and representatives from Apparel Cluster (SASTAC), supported by an
the cotton value chain and government original R200-million grant fund. Its aim was
launched the Sustainable Cotton Cluster to improve capacity and competitiveness and
I (SCC), an initiative to increase capacity to create jobs in the cotton, textile and apparel
and competitiveness in South Africa’s textile industry value chains. Through this initiative, the
and apparel industries. According to Hennie cotton industry formed the SCC in May 2014 to
Bruwer, CEO of Cotton SA, production has serve the cotton-specific interventions. The
increased more than eightfold from 26 000 SCC brings together the entire cotton supply
bales in 2013 to about 190 000 bales for the chain under one umbrella: farmers, ginneries,
past season, and 32% of these lint bales were yarn manufacturers, weavers and knitters,
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton. dyers, finishing plants, retailers and consumers.
BCI is the largest cotton sustainability South African retailers Mr Price Group and
standard in the world. It exists to make global Edcon Group have created 22 integrated
cotton production better for the people who supply chains through this initiative, on items
produce it, better for the environment it grows made with sustainable cotton sourced from
in and better for the sector’s future. BCI aims South Africa. These include product lines
to transform cotton production worldwide like T-shirts, chinos, towels and underwear.
by developing better cotton as a sustainable Other retailers who have also been part of
mainstream commodity. the journey are Woolworths and Ackermans.
On 1 April 2014, the Department of Trade Woolworths Holdings is the first South African
and Industry (the dti) launched a five-year retailer to become a member of the BCI
plan to establish a national textile cluster, programme and has committed to sourcing

12 | Katoen SA \\ Cotton SA