“From cotton seed to clothing: enhancing the sustainability, inclusiveness and value addition of the cotton value chain in Egypt” is the theme title of the project jointly implemented in Egypt by UNIDO, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and representatives of the textile private sector. The Government of Italy is funding the project.
A recent forum was held in Cairo to discuss global market trends and demands in the field, as well as the sustainability of spinning, textiles and ready-made garments industries in Egypt. The meeting was attended by Giovanna Ceglie, director and UNIDO representative; Heinz Zeller, head of sustainability and logistics at HUGO BOSS International; as well as Adel Abdel-Azim, president of the Cotton Research Institute.
The project capitalises on UNIDO’s well-established expertise on the value chain approach in Egypt, and focuses on the promotion of organic and non-contaminated cotton long and extra-long staple (LS and ELS). The initiative aims at enhancing the sustainability, inclusiveness and value addition of LS and ELS Egyptian cotton value chain by fostering B2B linkages throughout the value chain, improving quality of production at all stages from seeds to finishing, enhancing the technical and entrepreneurial skills of labour, and promoting resource efficient processing.
Ms Giovanna Ceglie highlighted that “the Egyptian ELS cotton is the gold standard for the world finest linens and clothing; however, its production and demand are steadily declining. This project wants to contribute to reversing this trend: together with our partners from the government and private sector we want to help growers produce more and better cotton, SMEs to manufacture quality cotton products, workers to benefit from higher skills and higher incomes. We emphasize the green aspect of this project as it will promote organic and clean production of cotton as well as the social impact, as we intend to support also the poorer segments in the cotton value chain.”
Watani International
24 April 2018