IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) have released a joint program with the name of “Green Textile City.” The program is launched in a partnership with leading global apparel retail and fashion brands, back in 2013. It aims to boost sustainability efforts in large textile clusters in Guangzhou and Shaoxing.
The Initiative, under IFC’s China Water Program that started back in 2915 facilitated sector-level capacity building and technical training for more than 100 textile mills in three different textile cities. About 50% of these trained mills implemented the resources efficiency projects on their own. Currently, China is producing more than 50% of the fabric of the world with net exports of about 267 billion dollars, as reported in the year 2016. The major drawback that was brought up by such exports is the energy and water footprint, that had shown a significant environmental footprint.
This joint initiative of IFC and NRDC is about to set an example of how the textile industry can leverage the expertise and partnership of a large number of stakeholders to upscale the efficiency of the resources in the supply chain. According to Navneet Chadha, the IFC resource efficiency leads for East Asia and Pacific. “A sustainable textile industry will benefit the private sector while supporting a better environment in China.”
IFC’s China Water Program is working since 2012. According to Gábor Szõcs, director for Hungarian Export-Import Bank and private sector liaison officer for Hungary; “We are encouraged to see the strong developmental results this program has achieved in a difficult market and Hungary is happy to have partnered with IFC to support sustainable development in China.
