Date: Tuesday, 3 November 2020 Time: 16:00–17:00 (SGT, +8 GMT) / 09:00–10:00 (CET, +1 GMT) WATCH Webinar
The global clothing industry accounts for over USD 1.7 trillion and employs more than 300 million people along its value chains. Despite its economic benefits, the textile sector is far from being sustainable. There is a strong divide between Asia and Europe. The former is where production and manufacturing are concentrated; the latter is the largest consumers of textile in the world, controlling designing and branding. Asian countries -especially Southeast Asia- must endure all the externalities linked to production depleting their natural resources and polluting the environment. Overproduction and the phenomenon of fast fashion are exacerbating the environmental impact of this sector that is responsible for about 10% of global CO2 emissions. Sustainable alternatives are needed also to face the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives
This webinar will explore:
- The global textile and garment sector trends, challenges, and interlinkages between Asia and Europe
- The impact of COVID-19 on the textile and garments sector
- Examples of sustainable consumption and production practices from the textiles and garments sector
The panel discussion will focus on practical solutions towards sustainable garment consumption and production. We will also discuss the role of policy makers in creating the proper environment for the business sector to foster innovative solutions. Discussion topics suggested by participants will be addressed as well as the challenges faced by the garments sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The outcomes of this webinar will feed into the Asia-Europe Environment Forum Annual Conference 2020 which will take place on 9-11 November 2020 (Learn more about this event and Register here).
Speakers
Ms Grazyna PULAWSKA, Acting Director, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Grazyna Pulawska joined ASEF in February 2010. She is responsible for the Asia-Europe Environment Forum programme, which aims to strengthen co-operation between Asian and European stakeholders in the field of environmental and sustainable development. Grazyna worked for the Ministry of Economy in Poland, working in the field of regional development. She has also been active in the NGO sector, mainly with the Service Civil International network in Belgium and the Development Wheel, a Bangladesh-based NGO specialising in supporting local entrepreneurship and fair trade.She received her Master's degree in International Relations through a joint programme between the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and the Warsaw School of Economics.
Mr Lars Fogh MORTENSEN, Consumption, Products and Plastics Expert, European Environment Agency (EEA)
Mr Mortensen has been heading the group on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in the European Environment Agency (EEA) since January 2006. He holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Copenhagen with specialisation in resource economics and economics of developing countries. He worked in different international organisations and national public authorities: the OECD, the Secretariat of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), the European Topic Centre on Waste and Material Flows, the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ms Jacqueline KACPRZAK, Counsellor to the Minister, Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy - Poland
Ms Kacprzak is an expert in the field of human rights, responsible business conduct and non-financial reporting. She has many years of experience and knowledge of work in public administration at the national and international level (OECD, European Union, and UN). Counsellor to the Minister at the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy. Bureau Member of the OECD Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct. Member of the Polish National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct. Secretary of the governmental CSR Advisory Board in years 2014-2017. Certified mediator in civil and commercial mediation. Lecturer at Collegium Civitas and Kozminski University in Warsaw. Her research and scientific interests include changes in modernity and capitalism, and sociology of human rights.
Mr Jerzy KOTWAS, Director for Promotion and International Cooperation, Gdynia Cotton Association
Mr Kotwas serves as Director for Promotion and International Cooperation of the Gdynia Cotton Association, Poland. He holds a master of science (M.Sc). in economy, organization and management and postgraduate studies in foreign trade of the University of Lodz. He is a cotton expert and arbiter graduated at the Gdynia Cotton School and the ACSA International Cotton Institute at Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, USA. His professional background entails 35 years of experience in the textile sector.
Ms Aude PETELOT, SWITCH-Asia Switch Garment Project, Geres Cambodia Country Representative, Sustainable Energy Expert
Ms Petelot, is the country manager and sustainable energy expert of Geres in Cambodia. She is presently the team leader for Geres in the implementation of the EU-funded SWITCH-Garment project with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC). She has contributed to sustainable energy projects in Europe and in Central and South Asia and has a nearly 10-year experience in supporting innovation and transformation in SMEs. Aude also served as a lecturer in Sustainability in the World of Business for different engineering programmes. She holds a MSc and engineering degree in Sustainable Energy from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and a MSc in Sustainable Development Management from HEC Paris.
Ms Loraine GATLABAYAN, Key Expert, Southeast Asia, SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility
Ms Gatlabayan is the Key Expert for Southeast Asia including China and Mongolia at the SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility of the SWITCH-Asia Programme. For the past 16 years she has worked on international and national projects focusing on environmental and sustainable development issues in the Asian Region, with a focus on SCP and resource efficiency, biosafety, access rights in environmental decision-making, transparency and accountability, and climate change.
Presentations are available here
