The United States and International Trade Center have recognized Global Organic Textile Standard as the recommended standard for textile processing at the recent 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Various actions have been planned to ensure the environmentally safe processing of textiles. An organization called the Climate Smart Network would facilitate small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in strengthening their environmental commitment. The CSN is an online platform that features GOTS-certified businesses and connects producers to buyers along the supply chain.
The MOU between Connecting Climate Entrepreneurs, ITC, and Global Partnership formalizes collaboration between the Department of State and ITC on various CCE activities, starting with the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Climate Smart Platform that is designed to showcase and scale SME climate-smart products and solutions, assist with their compliance to established environmental standards and certifications, and solidify their commitment to low-carbon practices.
The SME Climate Smart Platform guide large buyers in identifying products produced by SMEs according to their climate objectives. The ITC on its part will identify and recruit SMEs to join the platform. These SMEs would be asked to engage with third-party organizations such as Global Organic Textile Standard and Gold Standard to ensure SME compliance with environmental standards.
The office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and the Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships will ask the large private sector purchasers to utilize the SME Climate Smart Platform, and socialize the platform with U.S. embassies and appropriate SMEs.
CCE is a public-private partnership between the Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships and private sector entities to leverage the U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystem to advance climate entrepreneurship worldwide.
