IFC to launch second phase of 'cleaner textile' project
FE Report | Thursday, 28 September 2017
PaCT programme manager Nishat Shahid Chowdhury speaking Wednesday at a press briefing on the closing of the first phase of PaCT at the IFC office in Dhaka — FE Photo
The second phase of PaCT (Partnership for Cleaner Textile) will begin from October 1 after the successful completion of the first phase.
The new phase will cover the entire textile value chain to adopt efficient technologies and best practices with support of leading apparel brands.
Australian government will be partner in the US$7.0 million-second phase, which plans to extend its cleaner textile campaign from wet, dyeing, finishing to weaving, spinning, wet dyeing and finishing in the country's textile sector," said Programme Manager of PaCT Bangladesh Nishat Shahid Chowdhury on Wednesday.
A programme will be organised on September 30 to end Pact-1 and begin PaCT-2 at a city hotel, Ms Chowdhury said at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) office in Dhaka.
President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), a PaCT partner, Siddqur Rahman, IFC's Energy and Resource Efficiency Advisory Manager Alexios Pantelias, and the IFC Country Manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal Wendy Werner will be present at the programme.
Led by the IFC, PaCT-2 will be completed in 2021 to drive for long-term resource efficiency, competitiveness and environmental sustainability in the country's 250 textile factories.
Starting in January, 2013, PaCT-1 partnered with 200 textile factories in the country to support them for implementing sustainable production.
"These projects have led to huge savings in resources, realised cumulative cost savings of $12.4 million for these factories each year," Ms Chowdhury said.
She said the second phase will include a broad spectrum of technical assistance to factories and global apparel brands for cleaner production assessments, energy efficiency audits, solar rooftop PV feasibility studies, chemical management assessment, customised brand level support and pipeline development for resource efficiency financing.
PaCT is the first programme to incorporate several innovations to address the environmental and sustainability challenges related to the textile sector-development.