The Aid by Trade Foundation: a new sales strategy to help Cotton made in Africa enter the US market

The Aid by Trade Foundation wanted to expand its flagship Cotton made in Africa initiative to the US. To help it enter this market, Accenture assisted the organization to identify US fashion and retail clients, and develop an innovative and targeted sales approach that encompasses the social and ethical aspects of using sustainable cotton. It also shared supply chain and procurement preferred practices with Cotton made in Africa, equipping the organization to improve efficiency in these areas.

Client profile

The Aid by Trade Foundation was created in 2005 by Dr Michael Otto, Chairman of the Otto Group’s Supervisory Board. Since its inception, it has been an independent organization. The Foundation’s goal is to use trade to help people help themselves, thereby supporting the preservation of vital natural resources and securing the livelihoods of future generation. The Aid by trade Foundation is the umbrella organization of Cotton made in Africa and realizes its goals through this initiative.

Cotton made in Africa is designed to help over 475,000 African smallholder cotton farmers in two fundamental ways:

•By introducing ecologically sound farming practices that generate higher yields—e.g., by using less water and fertilizer.

•By creating better sales opportunities for more than 200,000 tons per annum of sustainable African cotton in European and United States (US) markets. This is enabled by a demand alliance of retailers in those markets.

Business challengeAfter establishing itself in the European market and driving strong sales of sustainably grown African cotton, the Aid by Trade Foundation wanted to tap the US market for sustainable cotton. However, it faced several challenges. Among them, the need to extend Cotton made in Africa’s supply chain capabilities to the US market.

Based on Accenture’s experience and knowledge of sustainability initiatives, organizational processes and technology, and supply chain management, as well as the German Accenture Foundation’s previous collaboration with the Otto Group, the Aid by Trade Foundation approached the German Accenture Foundation to help it identify US fashion and retail clients, and develop an innovative and targeted sales approach that encompasses the social and ethical aspects of using sustainable cotton.

How Accenture helpedThe German Accenture Foundation mobilized a global team of professionals with experience in sustainability, supply chain management, the US retail market, program management, and communications. The team evaluated ways for Cotton made in Africa to enter the US market, and carried out

a detailed analysis of sustainable fashion and retail trends in the US, as well as the cotton textile industry’s sourcing and supply chain practices. This helped the Foundation redefine Cotton made in Africa’s business drivers for entry into the US market; identify 18 target clients; and build a strong, revised sales pitch that emphasized the potential business benefits of cotton made in Africa, as well as the social and environmental benefits of using sustainable cotton.

The German Accenture Foundation team also leveraged Axure, a new, interactive presentation tool that helps clients to store data in one presentation, increasing flexibility during sales pitches. Axure gives the sales team an overview of the business, helps presenters respond in a timely manner to audience questions and easily switch between topics. The German Accenture Foundation helped develop a comprehensive user manual for Axure and trained the Cotton made in Africa team to use the tool.

To help create an efficient supply chain for sustainable cotton by the Aid by Trade Foundation, the German Accenture Foundation also shared functional preferred practices, analyzed Cotton made in Africa’s supply chain system and provided suggestions on the procurement processes.

High performance delivered With the help of the German Accenture Foundation, the Aid by Trade Foundation has redesigned its sales strategy for Cotton made in Africa and is equipped with customized communication packages for its target clients in the US. In addition, the Accenture team helped the Aid by Trade Foundation’s C-level leadership to focus on the potential business benefits rather than the traditional social benefits of sustainable cotton. This will help them to present their case persuasively to prospective clients. By sharing insight and preferred practices relating to Cotton made in Africa’s supply chain and procurement functions, Cotton made in Africa is equipped to improve efficiency in these areas. Further, Accenture’s passion for sustainability and commitment prompted it to leverage its internal network to help the Aid by Trade Foundation connect to potential clients for sale of sustainable cotton. The new sales strategy will help the Aid by Trade Foundation to achieve its objectives, namely growing the global demand alliance, improving the demand for African cotton, and potentially providing higher incomes for smallholder farmers.

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About the German Accenture FoundationSince 2003, the German Accenture Foundation has served as the backbone of Accenture’s local corporate citizenship activities in Germany. Its main objective is to build “skills to succeed” to foster sustainable education and development co-operation. In order to reach as many people as possible with this approach, the foundation collaborates with a variety of professional partners and volunteers who share their skills so others can successfully participate in business. Until 2015, the main objective of the global Accenture corporate citizenship campaign “Skills to Succeed” is to provide 500,000 people with the necessary skills to start their work life or even their own business.

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