The recent EU initiative for a strategy for sustainable textiles aims at assisting “the EU shift to a climate-neutral, circular economy where products are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy-efficient”. The EC has also undertaken some preliminary steps on due diligence requirements through the supply chain to tackle human rights abuses. Being among the most polluting industries but also the most profitable ones, it is crucial for the textile and clothing sector to move towards a more sustainable and ethical future. To make a successful transition, the industry needs to address also among others the skills challenges of the employees in the sector. According to International Labour Organisation (2019), new skills are and will increasingly be required across the entire Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear (TCLF) supply chain, not only in relation to new production processes, but also in areas such as design, finance, product development, logistics, marketing, sales and customer service. In the future it will become increasingly important to manage skills development and skill shortages in order to ensure that employers and workers are able to adapt to new technologies, new materials and growing pressure to manufacture products in an environmentally sustainable way.
Project funding:
The European Union programme Erasmus+
Project results:
The objectives of ECOMODA are:
– To raise awareness on the importance of sustainable and ethical development in the textile and apparel sector with special focus on SME sized enterprises.
– To design an e-learning course to upskill the managerial level of enterprises operating in the textiles and apparel sector to equip them with the needed knowledge.
– To upskill the workforce of the textiles and apparel sector companies through blended learning in sustainability.
– To foster a participatory culture in enterprises where everyone contributes actively to sustainability goals via a digital platform.
– To identify the environmental and social impacts of the industry and implement a strategy for the sustainable and ethical development of the enterprises.
The project results will be:
– An on-line course for SMEs’ owners, managers, designers and textile manufacturers.
– A blended learning course on sustainability and ethics for employees in the apparel and textile industry.
– An online platform that contains a strategic roadmap toolkit for employees to formulate their ideas on sustainability and ethics grow.
Period of project implementation: 2022-04-01 - 2024-03-31
Project coordinator: Lodz Chamber of Industry - Commerce (LCIC)
Project partners: Lietuvos aprangos ir tekstilės įmonių asociacija (LATIA), Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICOC), Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club (KISCM), Consorzio Bimbo Italia (CBI), IDEC
