Reducing emissions through enhanced energy efficiency in fashion industry

Viet Nam made a strong commitment to achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2050. This ambitious target can only be reached with collective effort from all stakeholders, including private sector. Factories and brands are therefore required to join hands in reducing their carbon footprint in global supply chains.  

In support of this effort, GIZ and company signatories to the UN Industry Fashion Charter for Climate Action developed the Climate Action Training for the Fashion Industry (CAT) in 2020. This web-based training series is supported by expert trainers and provides foundational knowledge, with focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and target setting for manufacturers. It was followed by an in-depth training programme on the application of energy efficiency measures to enhance GHG reduction in the fashion supply chain, in 2022 and 2023.

With connection/introduction by five fashion brands, namely Lululemon, Fast Retailing, On-running, H&M, and Fenix Outdoor, their 35 suppliers operating in Viet Nam joined the Climate Action Training with Energy Efficiency Focus for Fashion Manufacturers (CAT EE) 2022-2023 and enriched their knowledge and skills after nine months of attending an online training and two technical consultations. With knowledge acquired from the training, the participating companies became better able to develop plans with actionable measures to improve energy efficiency and achieving carbon target at their factories.

“The training provided our staff with a deeper understanding of energy systems, greenhouse gas emission sources and application of calculation coefficients. They are now capable of identifying wasted energy sources and suggesting energy efficiency solutions.  Practical learning from energy audit in Maxport 9 will be shared within our company and applied in other facilities. We expect that GIZ will continue to provide similar courses for factories on environmental topics and waste treatment,” said Mr. Hoang Viet Hong, Vice Director of Maxport 9 factory of Maxport Limited Vietnam at CAT Energy Efficiency closing workshop.

This training series was developed under Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) in support of the private sector to enhance social and environmental due diligence in supply chains. IGS is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).