UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations with a unique mandate to promote, dynamize and accelerate industrial development. UNIDO’s mandate is reflected in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. Given the inter-linkages of the SDGs, the impact of our activities contributes towards the achievement of all the 17 SDGs. UNIDO’s vision is a world where industry drives low-emission economies, improves living standards, and preserves the liveable environment for present and future generations, leaving no one behind.
Accordingly, the Organization has set three major priorities for action:
All three involve activities that contribute to job creation.
Cutting across these priorities are the following themes: technology and knowledge transfer, digitalization, investment promotion, training and skills, the circular economy, and women’s economic empowerment.
UNIDO’s Sustainable Fashion projects propose a vision for a new fashion industry aligned with the principles of a circular economy and provide multiple benefits for business, society, and the environment. Reducing industrial pollution and emissions is central to the Organization’s approach and contributes to improving health, tackling climate change, and supporting biodiversity. Furthermore, Sound Chemicals Management, Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP), and Circular Economy approaches contribute to broader efforts to improve sustainability performance at company level, as well as along the supply chain.
The Circular Economy and Green Industry Division within UNIDO is strengthening capacities of industries, governments and institutions to meet their legal obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and build sustainable textiles fashion supply chains. Through policy advice, technology transfer and pilot demonstrations, UNIDO’s Circular Economy and Green Industry Division supports countries across the world in eliminating & reducing the release of harmful POPs into the environment.
Several global and regional partnerships have been developed in this area, as well as intensive work in Africa, where UNIDO is implementing projects promoting circular economy principles in the Textile and Garment Sector through sustainable chemicals and wastes management in and . UNIDO is also partnering with other UN agencies to implement a global programme on “Eliminating hazardous chemicals from fashion and construction supply chains” with UNIDO implementing the country project in India focused on the fashion supply chain. Further initiatives include the SwitchMed (2014-2024), Value Chains and the Promotion of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) to reduce u-POPs Releases from Waste Open Burning.
Under the EU-funded SwitchMed Programme, UNIDO undertook actions in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia to develop the value chains in the textile and clothing industry to become more circular and less polluting. Together with global brands, international key experts, and local stakeholders, UNIDO developed infrastructure to valorize pre-consumer textile waste and establish local capacities to help eliminate hazardous chemicals in textile and clothing production. Together with leading international brands, local industry stakeholders, and the government, UNIDO strengthened local capacities to facilitate appropriate classification, efficient collection, sorting, and recycling of post-industrial and pre-consumer textiles in line with global market specifications.
EGYPT
UNIDO contributes to platforms and initiatives promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. To help create decent and productive job opportunities for youth and women in the sector, UNIDO with the fund for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) developed the project “Capacity-building and job creation for youth and women in the textile sector in migration prone areas of Ethiopia”, the target beneficiaries of this project were the young women and men living in migration prone areas of Ethiopia.
UNIDO’s Division of Agri-Business and Infrastructure Development has developed initiatives to promote value creation in non-food agricultural value chains such as textiles and leather and promote bio-economy such as green chemistry in fibre production – bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides. The Division fosters innovative approaches to building human capital and raising productivity, through vocational and entrepreneurship training and industrial skills development in partnership with the private sector. Through collaborating with International Financial Institutions, private sector, and other UN agencies, the Division also supports the development of agribusiness corridors that promote private sector investment in agriculture and agribusiness. In addition to generating employment, this approach also contributes to sustainable textile production that emphasizes replacement of chemicals with natural products, regenerative agriculture and the use of alternative natural fibers and organic cotton. Through the Agribusiness Division UNIDO is working with the International Trade Centre (ITC) on a project titled Baseline study on the cotton-to-textile value chain development in the C4 and Côte d’Ivoire that’s aims to support the WTO-FIFA MOU on cotton in support of the development of local cotton-to-textile value chain in the Cotton Four (C-4) Countries – namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali with Côte d’Ivoire as an observer member.
Under the funded by Italy, UNIDO works with local partners and international brands to provide innovative solutions along the value chain to promote sustainability and transparency, in line with market and legislative requirements. The project actively collaborates with Italian companies that supply renowned brands utilizing Egyptian cotton, ensuring a demand-driven approach that aligns production with market needs. The project will support cotton growers’ communities in applying sustainable practices to safeguard their first source of income, as well as their wellbeing and to protect their environment. Gender responsive activities will be conducted together with local institutions to strengthen the role of women and improve their livelihoods. To enhance the Egyptian cotton value chain, it is of paramount importance to provide skilled labour from production to processing. Therefore, the project will support the embedding of the concept of quality and sustainability in existing educational curricula and trainings, encouraging exchanges with cotton-textile industries.
The project will also assist the cotton-textile industries and relevant BSOs in aligning to new market and regulatory requirements related to due diligence, transparency and traceability. Resource efficiency and environmental compliance are also becoming increasingly a priority for the industry to lower its carbon emissions and to save costs.
The UNIDO Italian Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO Italy) is also implementing the project “Promoting business and technology development in Ghana’s circular textile sector”, funded by the Italian Agency for the Development Cooperation (AICS) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Agribusiness and Industry of Ghana (MOTAI). The project seeks to foster the development of circular economy best practices in Ghana’s textile sector. Ghana, a major importer of second-hand clothing, experiences severe environmental, economic, and social challenges due to this waste. The influx of second-hand clothing, combined with locally produced textile waste, has led to increased environmental pollution and economic inefficiencies. The initiative aims to address environmental and economic challenges posed by Ghana in this industry while creating new economic opportunities and fostering a culture of sustainability.
UNIDO’s Energy and Climate Action Division supports Sustainable Fashion approaches on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and on reducing the industry’s Green House Gas emissions. In particular, the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) and PFAN Programme support the Circular Economy in the Textile and Garment Sector projects to develop business models and financing mechanisms for the sustainability of waste recycling and reuse operations. They also provide support on entrepreneurship development and business-to-business (B2B) linkages through their network of advisors in the region.
UNIDO has developed industry partnerships with a range of international brands, who are committed to responsible sourcing and adopting a value chain approach to make their operations more sustainable. Furthermore, UNIDO sustainable fashion interventions engage various international partners and projects, including:
