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 challenge
After 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 helped
The 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 Foundation
Since 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.