The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) organized in March a series of webinar on chemical management and wastewater management for six Egyptian exporting companies active in textile and garment wet processing and professionals from the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC). The webinars are part of the EU-funded SwitchMed/MED TEST III component, implemented in association with the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

In the first stage of the project, a series of training sessions for companies in the textile and garment industry was delivered to raise awareness on the importance of better chemical wastewater management in line with the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) requirements. Later stages of the MED TEST III project aim to support company pilots on applying the ZDHC protocols.

Ensuring the elimination of hazardous chemicals in textile production is critical to meeting consumer preferences for sustainably produced textile products. Failing to comply with environmental production standards could threaten companies’ future export potential and Egypt’s position in the global textile value chain.

As part of the collaboration with the ZDHC Foundation, UNIDO will, until 2023 under the MED TEST III project, build capacities of local service providers and develop a roadmap to roll-out the application of the ZDHC protocol across the textile and garment industry.

In parallel to supporting the ZDHC protocol’s progress, UNIDO is developing pilot demonstrations for valorizing post-industrial textile waste in the Egyptian textile value chain. MED TEST III’s overall objective is to improve the sustainability of the textile value chain and support the private sector for future operations.

A second series of webinars is scheduled for June 2021 and will target additional textile and garments companies with wet processing.

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Press release

SwitchMed website