On May 26, 2022, at GMAC, representatives of GGGI, GIZ (FABRIC), Geres and GMAC agreed on an Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership to improve environmental performance in the textile and garment sector in Cambodia.
The signing ceremony saw the participation of Marc Beckmann, Program Director of GIZ FABRIC, Karolien Casaer-Diez, GGGI Country Representative in Cambodia and Ken Loo, Secretary General of GMAC
Garment manufacturing is the primary export sector in the Cambodian economy and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution in the country. As the international fashion sector’s role in meeting global carbon reduction requirements becomes clearer, many global brands seek to green value chains and demand greater “green value addition” from supplier factories.
Reducing the environmental impact of the fashion sector requires a multi-stakeholder approach for constructive dialogue and coordinated action between factories, buyers, government, and non-government development partners. This MoU will bring together the FABRIC and Switch Garment programs, two major programs to improve environmental sustainability in the Cambodian garment sector, to synergize efforts. The aim of the wider partnership is to help GMAC and the sector develop a multi-stakeholder platform for sustainability through practical, business smart services for factory members.
About Switch Garment: GGGI, Geres and GMAC jointly run the project “Switch Garment – Promotion of sustainable energy practices in the garment sector in Cambodia” since May 2019. The four-year project is co-funded by the European Union through the SWITCH-Asia program. Aiming to strengthen competitiveness and reduce the carbon footprint of garment manufacturers in Cambodia, the project promotes clean energy practices – including energy efficiency but also rooftop solar and sustainable biomass. The project works with factories, banks and energy service providers to increase demand and supply of technologies, services, and financial solutions for sustainable energy in manufacturing. The consortium partners also work with the Cambodian government to strengthen the policy framework for clean energy in manufacturing.
About Fabric: FABRIC (Promoting Sustainability in the Textile and Garment Industry in Asia) is a regional project by GIZ. The project initiates regional networks and promotes and facilitates a close exchange and sharing of knowledge, it cooperates with international buyers to use their market power to foster sustainability, and it promotes environmental sustainability standards and strengthens capacities for and implementation of sustainable environmental and resource management.