May Kunmakara | Original Article featured on The Phnom Penh Post
The EU SWITCH-Asia funded Switch Garment project, implemented in collaboration with New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) and the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), kicked off a series of energy audits in Cambodian garment factories.The audits are devised to identify the best cost-effective options to build a more economically-resilient industry that is able to meet purchase orders, while constraining its environmental footprint.
Representatives of the Switch Garment project said in an August 24 statement that the audits will analyse the energy intensity of garment manufacturers’ facilities and identify opportunities for cost savings and production optimisation. The audits will also serve to inform clean energy investment by factories and identify factories’ training needs to strengthen sustainable energy practices.
“Faced with pressures from international buyers to reduce environmental footprints, to date 30 factories have signed up as partners in the Switch Garment project, while 20 more will be recruited later this year,” team members of Switch Garment reported.
Robert Hwang, managing director of PPSEC Co Ltd, said high electricity costs and growing sustainability requirements from buyers are significant challenges for factories in Cambodia.
We have joined the Switch Garment project because good energy management is important to remain competitive in the market.
Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) general manager Ly Tek Heng, who has been leading the engagement with factories on these audits, said: “International brands that buy from garment factories in Cambodia now focus heavily on sustainability due to growing environmental awareness of consumers; the sector must keep up with the trend to remain competitive.”
Launched on September 11, the Switch Garment project is a joint venture between the GMAC, the Seoul-headquartered treaty-based international organisation Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and French NGO Geres-Cambodia. The project is funded by the EU through the SWITCH-Asia programme.
Related article:
Green is ‘this year’s colour’ for the garment sector
published by Husain Haider / Khmer Times
