News

An online discussion was held on 18 November 2020 on a Just Transition in the Textile Sector in China, co-hosted by ILO and CNTAC under PAGE and in partnership with the ILO-SIDA regional project on Decent Work in Garment Supply Chains in Asia. The online discussion built on the work and established partnerships of PAGE, ILO and CNTAC, with the aim to collect actionable data on the impact of COVID-19 on the sector, identify and prioritize interventions for recovery and re-structuring, and develop a process for multi-stakeholder engagement and capacity building for a Just Transition through social dialogue. The activity also contributes to the UN Climate Action for Jobs Initiative.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused immense social and economic impacts on the textile and garment sector in Asia and the Pacific, affecting millions of workers and enterprises”, said Mr Dai Xiaochu, Deputy Director, ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia at the opening. “This on-going crisis provides an opportunity for the industry to revisit the weaknesses of the current supply chain model, and to start a restructure process taking into full consideration the interdependence between social, environmental, technological and economic dimensions. The green recovery of China’s textile and garment sector will also make significant contribution to the achievement of the ambitious goal set by President Xi at the 75th UN General Assembly to reach the carbon emission peak by 2030 and carbon neutralization by 2060.” 

Ms LIU Hui, Ms LIU Hui, Deputy Director of Office for Social Responsibility, CNTAC, pointed out that as the world’s largest textile producer and exporter, China is seriously impacted by the pandemic. A large number of overseas orders has been cancelled and the enterprises face serious default risk, especially in the first quarter. The integrated nature of the national supply chain enhanced the sector’s resilience. The pandemic is changing the production model of the sector.  

CNTAC has organized online trade fairs and information exchanges. Many companies switched to online distributions and innovations, smart manufacturing and ecommerce. The textile and garment sector is a labour-intensive, key livelihood sector engaging many rural women migrant workers. CNTAC calls on the international communities to strengthen cooperation and object trade protectionism to build back better across the global supply chain, e.g. by issuing a joint declaration with the textile associations in other Asian countries to call on the international brands to promote corporate responsibility and responsible procurement. Ms Liu further introduced the prospects and pathway to realize the sustainable development of the sector toward an innovation-driven technology industry, culture-led fashion industry and responsibility-oriented green industry, making effective contribution to the global green recovery for the textile and garment sector.  

Dr Cristina Martinez, ILO Senior Specialist for Environment & Decent Work introduced the framework for Achieving a Just transition and the Climate Action for Jobs Initiative.  Dr Samantha Sharpe, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, and Textile Eco-innovation Network in Asia (TERN) Convenor, introduced the global perspectives of the pandemic’s impact and emphasized the importance of collaboration and dialogue among key actors in the transition. The presentations put the national discussion into a broader context of a green recovery for the textile and garment sector across the global supply chain.  

The discussion enhanced the participants’ understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities in promoting Just Transition and Green Jobs for the sector in the sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery process. It provided the participants an opportunity to analyse and discuss the on-going issues of the sector’s transition toward environmental sustainability, share good practices and lessons learned, and review the effectiveness of current approaches in light of international experiences and standards. The discussion also contributed to the on-going efforts for developing sound national policies and practices on promoting a green transition for the textile and garment sector in China. 

Participants from the private and public sector provided very positive feedback to the discussion with efficient moderation, high-quality speeches and presentations, and well-organized flexible structure. They found it a “real discussion" which broadened their horizons and showed interest in continued engagement in relevant following dialogues and activities. As the first dialogue under the online ‘Just Transition in the Textile and Garment Sector in Asia’ Discussion series, the China dialogue served as a feedback facility to reflect different stakeholders’ perspectives and enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation and partnership in jump-starting a green recovery for the textile and garment sector in China and beyond.  

This dialogue will be followed by further activities with CNTAC as part of international cooperation for a Just Transition of the garment sector in China and Chinese enterprises in other Asian countries. 

Annex: 

PAGE China_CN + Final Agenda Just Transition in Textile Sector China 

Contacts 

Dr Cristina Martinez martinezc@ilo.org  

Mr QIAN Chengchen chengchen.qian@un.org 

Dr Samantha Sharpe Samantha.sharpe@uts.edu.au 

Ms PEI Hongye pei@iloguest.org 

Following the creation of the University Alliance for Green Economy and Sustainable Development (AVZUR) in 2019, led by the American University of Central Asia (AUCA), PAGE has worked with AVZUR to integrate green economy learning into the curricula of various university degrees - building the capacities of current and future decision-makers and ensuring the sustainability of PAGE interventions. UNITAR has committed to support the development of courses including Economics of Climate Change in Central Asia (OSCE Academy); Green and Sustainable Finance (International Alatoo University); Agriculture and Green Growth (Kyrgyz National Agrarian University); Green Economy and International Trade (AUCA); and Introduction to Green Economy (Kyrgyz Economic University). 

To further spread awareness of green economy in Kyrgzstan, AVZUR,  with support from UNITAR are holding a competition among youth to create projects that highlight issues of a green economy in Kyrgyzstan and seek to increase general knowledge on sustainability through innovative uses of media. The programme will run from October 2020 - March 2021 and submissions will be judged on criteria including the novelty of the project, creativity and presentation of information and the long-term sustainability of the project. 

 
Click here more information on the contest. 

First launched in 2019, the second edition of the “Uruguay Circular — Towards a new economy” awards was held on October 28th. The first of its kind in Latin America, the programme recognizes achievements across areas such as the use of renewable energies and materials, reuse and repair and improving product efficiency among others.  

The awards are a collaborative effort between the PAGE Uruguay Program Management Committee, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM) together with the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (UNIDO) and the National Development Agency (ANDE).  

Beyond giving visibility and recognition to companies, entrepreneurs, communities and educational institutions who are making advances in circular economy, Uruguay Circular supports events and learning throughout the year on topics such as eco-design, repair, reuse, and rental markets.  

The programme aligns with the ambitions of Uruguay to develop circular economy in the country, particularly within the framework of its sustainable development plan. And, on the high-level, the National Circular Economy Action Plan was launched in September 2019 by Transforma Uruguay — the National System of Productive Transformation and Competitiveness, which was created in 2016 with the purpose of promoting productive innovation and economic development. The Plan also promotes research and innovation and knowledge of business models, identifies early activities, and encourages practices based on its principles. 

PAGE Peru held a webinar on 13 October to celebrate the culmination of the country’s five-year engagement within the Partnership, 2014-2019. The event saw representation from the UN Resident Coordinator in Peru, the ILO Director in Lima, four national ministries, the PAGE Secretariat and all PAGE agencies. Among discussions of successes in the country, sustainability plans for the phase-out process were also presented — including the ongoing application of PAGE’s Integrated Green Economy modelling (IGEM) tool for assessing NDC policy in Peru, supported by the European Commission.  

“What gives me peace of mind at this moment is knowing about the enormous amount of work that already exists; and while I was listening, I was thinking how this could be linked to this framework (UN framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19) that has been entrusted to us — all over the world." 

"For me, looking at my colleagues from the UNDP, UNIDO, ILO, etc. here, all of them well-connected with each of the ministries is a source of great satisfaction... I have seen here a relationship of trust, work, and respect between the professionals of the ministries and my UN colleagues. It is a great baseline to move forward.” 

— UN Resident Coordinator in Peru, Igor Garafuli 

READ MORE about the Integrated Green Economy Modelling in Peru  

Recording here (Spanish).

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