Colombo - Ocean Lanka, one of Sri Lanka’s largest weft knitted fabric manufacturers, has entered into a partnership with Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), one of the world’s leading standards for sustainably produced cotton. The recent partnership will see Ocean Lanka further increasing its use of sustainable cotton.

Cotton made in Africa is an initiative of the Aid by Trade Foundation, which operates on the principle that partnering retailers and brands pay a license fee for every product bearing the CmiA label. CmiA then reinvests the licensing revenue towards training smallholder cotton farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby improving their living conditions.

“In 2009, we made a commitment to source more sustainable cotton. As of today, over 40 per cent of fabric and yarn we use is already sustainable. The partnership with CmiA will allow us to further increase that proportion, putting us well on our way to reaching at least 75 per cent by 2025,” Dr. Austin Au, Managing Director of Ocean Lanka said.

“Ocean Lanka maintains a proactive stance in bettering the textile and apparel industry and reducing the environmental impact. The partnership with CmiA is an expansion of our responsible fabrics portfolio, which includes; organic cotton, GOTS certified organic cotton fibres and BCI cotton. It is important that all our stakeholders partake in our journey – only this way can we achieve long-term success and trust."

Established in 1996, Ocean Lanka supplies knitted fabrics to renowned international brands including Victoria’s Secret, PVH (Tommy Hilfiger/Calvin Klein), Nike, Uniqlo, GAP, Amazon, Michael Kors, Marks and Spencer, Lacoste, Puma, Intimissimi and Hanes.

The company is a joint venture between Hong Kong based Fountain Set Holdings and local apparel giants Hirdaramani Group and Brandix Lanka Limited.