Addressed issue / objectives

• Education and training for communities on establishment and management of clean and green villages 
• Promotion of health and hygiene in villages
• Enterprise development for income generation

Biodiversity is restored, optimal use of resources through recycling, as well as sustainable water management to promote health and hygiene.

Project location
Farmers in Telangana, India

Project status / duration

3 years
open - you want to get involved?

"In Germany, for example, street cleaning, waste disposal, waste separation and recycling of recyclables is a functioning system. However, especially in the rural regions of India, the country of origin of our organic cotton, such structures are completely lacking, which is why plastic waste is a major problem there," reports Michaela Gnass, CSR manager at Dibella. "During Dibella's business trip in winter 2018 to the origins of our organic cotton, we noticed mountains of torn plastic bags, dented disposable bottles and shredded plastic film. During the rainy season, water collects in them - a breeding ground for insects that can carry serious diseases like malaria. In addition, some of the waste is burned with acrid smoke or washed away by heavy monsoon rains. Each of these methods is harmful to people and the environment, which is why we launched the Clean and Green Village grant project through the GoodTextiles Foundation."

Thinking in cycles

The first project of this kind has been launched in the districts of Adilabad and Asifabad, where experts from the Chetna cooperative are training entire village communities and promoting awareness for a clean environment. They are also working with residents to develop ways of collecting and recycling raw materials: in addition to reusing undamaged plastic bottles for hygienic storage of drinking water, the aim is to reuse, collect and recycle existing resources in the best possible way. Recycling is also intended to create new income opportunities, benefiting the families of organic cotton farmers.

Participation model for the future

Young people are particularly committed to a clean, livable environment in their village," Michaela Gnass has noted. "However, the cooperative currently lacks the financial resources to put the project on a broader footing and expand it to surrounding villages. With the "Clean and Green Village" funding project, we are supporting the initiative and offering sponsors the opportunity to participate through the GoodTextiles Foundation. Through community engagement, a waste-free landscape is being created in the organic cotton growing areas. In addition, educational initiatives for farmers in the region are specifically promoted, creating a new awareness in the far-sighted use of resources in the long term."