Business

Tunisian Textile Industry To Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

The Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation (FTTH) recently organised a seminar on the recovery and recycling of post-industrial waste in the clothing sector. It was also the occasion to launch the "Med TestIII", an initiative that proposes to promote clean industries in the southern Mediterranean. The seminar in Tunis was themed “Promoting circular value chains for a competitive and sustainable textile industry”. The meeting was designed to introduce textile operators to a green economy approach, where chemical waste from factories is recycled or vaporised. Textiles, which is a pillar of the Tunisian economy, contributes more than 20% to the GDP, with 1,600 companies, 160,000 jobs and euro 2.2 billion in export sales, and exerts a strong pressure on the environment. The eco-responsibility of Tunisian textiles is further reinforced by the “MedTestIII” initiative. It aims at developing circular textile value chains and recovering textile waste. Funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), this programme is also expected to be implemented in two other North African countries: Morocco and Egypt. “More and more international brands are setting up collection and recycling units for used clothing. We must not miss this train which is the key to the durability and sustainability of the national textile and clothing sector,” said Hosni Boufaden, FTTH President. Concretely, Med TestIII will strengthen local infrastructure, technical expertise and know-how to promote the appropriate classification, efficient collection, sorting and recycling of post-industrial and pre-consumer textile waste.