“There are several good reasons for the project”, says Martina Bandte, President of Gesamtmasche. “Especially sub-Saharan Africa is still a blank spot on the textile map for most in the industry. There is a lot of potential for cooperation there, even if the conditions are not easy. In the short term, the main focus is on the procurement of yarn and contract manufacturing. In the long term, we have to keep an eye on export opportunities.” Some of Africa’s larger economies are growing at a fast pace and already have a respectable middle class. However, there is another motivation for the association’s project: “In a pilot measure, we want to make supply chains transparent and present them to the interested public. At the same time, we want to explain where the difficulties lie.”