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OVS partners with CmiA to boost traceability in textile supply chain

Italian textile and fashion company OVS has entered into a partnership with Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), a globally recognised standard for sustainable cotton production, to ensure end-to-end verifiable transparency.

With a network of over 2,200 stores in Italy and abroad, most of which under the OVS and Upim names, the company offers a range of own brands, including PIOMBO, OVS Kids, Blukids, Stefanel, Les Copains, CROFF, and Goldenpoint.

The partnership with CmiA enables the company to provide verification from the cotton bale through to the finished garment.

So far in 2025, OVS has introduced nearly 2.5m products into the market made with CmiA-verified cotton. The product range includes children’s wear and denim items such as jeans and jackets.

OVS Group corporate sustainability head Simone Colombo said: “We chose Cotton made in Africa to further expand our commitment to source better, the most important fibre for our collections. In addition, we can use the CmiA Inside label to ensure that only CmiA-verified cotton is used in our products. This creates transparency and trust, including for our customers.”

OVS products containing CmiA cotton will now display the “Cotton made in Africa Inside” label, confirming that only CmiA-certified cotton is used and can be traced throughout the entire value chain.

The process for verifying this transparency relies on the Hard Identity Preserved (HIP) system. This method requires proof that only CmiA-verified cotton passes through yarn and textile production stages before it is labelled as “Cotton made in Africa Inside.”

The label’s presence assures physical traceability of the fibre, as per CmiA requirements.

In addition to its focus on environmental protection, including coverage of water resources, soil quality, and biodiversity, CmiA also includes social standards.

These criteria include the promotion of women in producer communities, the enforcement of human rights, the prohibition of child labour, and support for smallholder farmers.

Aid by Trade Foundation managing director Tina Stridde said: “We are pleased to welcome OVS as a new partner in our international demand alliance for Cotton made in Africa. OVS’s implementation of Cotton made in Africa Inside makes a strong statement about transparency and traceability—one we are very happy to see.”

Currently, more than 30% of African cotton is verified under the CmiA or CmiA Organic standards. More than 60 textile firms and fashion brands, including Bestseller and OTTO, incorporate CmiA cotton into their products.