Sweden
Textile Water Initiative, one of Sweden’s largest public-private
partnerships, will expand to new countries in Asia and Africa after a
successful pilot project in India.
Through the initiative, 28
Swedish textile and leather companies have cooperated with Stockholm
International Water Institute (SIWI) to catalyse a shift towards
sustainable production globally. To achieve this, the initiative has
educated suppliers and sub-contractors to help minimize the use of
water, energy and chemicals throughout the whole supply chain. More than
40 factories participated in the pilot project, which contributed to
saving 284 million litres of water and 402 tonnes of chemicals annually.
"It is all about spreading knowledge and changing attitudes," says Rami Abdelrahman, Programme Manager at SIWI. "Within
just two years, we have educated more than 14,000 factory managers and
employees. This has paved the way for long-term gains for both the
environment, the companies, the suppliers and the local population."
Inspired by the success of the pilot, the initiative will now expand to
include new factories in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India and Turkey.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) will,
through a unique business model, match the companies’ and factories’
investments in better water management. SIWI will continue the learning
process with suppliers and sub-contractors in the new countries. The
initiative also works with national public authorities to increase the
institutional capacity to govern water sustainably. "Unfortunately,
the textile industry often has a negative impact on the environment and
we therefore want to take the lead in minimizing water and chemical
usage in Asia and Africa. We will jointly contribute to sustainable
development and an improved local environment," says Charlotte Petri
Gornitzka, Director-General, SIDA. Many companies have joined forces in
this initiative, despite being competitors in the stores. The network
needs more members, however. "The more companies that engage, the
greater the impact. Ideally we would want all Swedish textile and
leather companies to implement our guidelines and help us develop them
further", says Elin Larsson, Sustainability Manager, Filippa K.