Brazilian fashion sustainability projects participated in an OECD event

The Side session: Brazilian ecosystem of sustainable fashion was organized by Texbrasil (Program for the Internationalization of the Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry), a partnership between Abit (Brazilian Association of the Textile and Apparel Industry) and  ApexBrasil (Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments) during the OCDE Forum about Due Diligence about Clothing & Footwear Sector, the main meeting on global supply chains.  

In the virtual session that took place on February 13, successful collaborative sustainability projects in the Brazilian textile sector were shown: Moda ComVerso, by Abvtex; Colabora Moda Sustentável, by Reos Partners; SCORE Project in Brazil, by OIT, and the Brazilian Sustainable Fashion League, by Texbrasil. 

Moda ComVerso is a movement led by Abvtex (Brazilian Textile Retail Association) with the support of Abit, in addition to retailers, suppliers and civil society, aiming to promote socially responsible fashion in Brazil, stimulating an increasingly ethical and transparent production chain. “We want to educate the consumer so that, when buying, he/she recognizes the companies that are working for sustainable fashion in Brazil”, emphasized Edmundo Lima from Abvtex. 

Colabora Moda Sustentável is a multisectoral platform that has among its members the main manufacturers, industries, brands, retailers, sectoral associations, such as Abit, opinion makers, dressmakers and leaders of the country. All of them seek to promote changes in culture, influence public policies, build new narratives and create concrete solutions in favor of a more ethical and sustainable Brazilian fashion. “It is important that we design a robust governance guideline to carry out this sustainable transformation in a structured way in the Brazilian textile sector”, highlighted Lucilene Danciguer from Reos Partners, who is involved in the project. 

SCORE Project in Brazil it is part of a global initiative by the ILO (International Labor Organization) to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and employees in selected value chains to achieve greater productivity and better working conditions. To do so, they have introduced the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Companies (SCORE) methodology. “We offer in-factory training and consultancy to promote humanized productivity in the textile chain”, explained Andrej Slivnik from ILO. 

The Brazilian Sustainable Fashion League was created by Texbrasil to train and promote sustainable Brazilian brands. The aim is to strengthen business and encourage participating brands to lead the transformation towards a more sustainable world by offering ESG consultancy. “With the League, we want to position the Brazilian textile and fashion sector with a solid narrative of commitment to sustainability in the face of global challenges,” added Mariele Christ from ApexBrasil, who supports the project. 

About Texbrasil

The Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program (Texbrasil) works with companies in the textile and apparel sector in the development of strategies to conquer the global market. Over 20 years, it has helped around 1600 brands to get on the export trail, doing USD 9 billion in business. The Program is carried out through a partnership between Abit and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).