South Africa

In a bid to address the challenges facing the clothing manufacturing industry in South Africa, the ILO has, with support from the Government of Flanders, launched a project that seeks to improve the support ecosystem to help SMEs and their workers improve productivity and working conditions.

The BRICS + Fashion Summit held in Moscow early last month saw business transactions to the tune of $2.7 million.

Ichnological evidence from three palaeosurfaces on South Africa’s Cape coast, in conjunction with neoichnological study, suggests that humans may indeed have worn footwear while traversing dune surfaces during the Middle Stone Age.

A recent study makes it clear that the whole textiles business model in South Africa is unsustainable and requires a significant shift to transition it to one that is low-carbon and less environmentally impactful. The study has suggested a number of interventions which are currently being explored with key stakeholders and, ultimately, if adopted, would form part of the Retail-Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather (R-CTFL) Master Plan.

The Innovative Business Practices and Economic Models in the Textile Value Chain (InTex) project of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is helping to improve resource efficiency and promote circularity in textiles in regions far from the glare of Big Media. The underlying idea is simple: empower local stakeholders.