Sweden Textile Water Initiative, working with Swedish textile businesses such as H&M, Lindex and IKEA to reduce water, chemical and energy use in their global supply chains, is now setting up a new arm of Asian and African operations with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The countries to be covered in this include in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India and Turkey. The project works by educating suppliers and sub-contractors to help reduce the use of water, energy and chemicals in apparel brand supply chains. 28 Swedish textile and leather companies have worked with the project, which was launched through the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
“Within just two years, we have educated more than 14,000 factory managers and employees. This has paved the way for long-term gains for both the environment, the companies, the suppliers and the local population,” informs Rami Abdelrahman, Programme Manager at SIWI.
