Phnom Penh, Cambodia – 6 February 2024, EU Switch Garment project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, organized the 3rd meeting of the Project Steering Committee. The project is funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Cambodia, Textile, Apparel, Footwear & Travel Goods Association in Cambodia (TAFTAC) and Geres. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the overall progress made during the fourth year of the project cycle 2023-2024, present the next course of action, and seek strategic direction from the PSC members. During this meeting, the committee drew a strategic plan to complete the remaining key tasks before the closure of the project in May 2024.
Fairfield by Marriott Phnom Penh, the meeting began with an opening speech by H.E. Meas Sophal, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment and welcome remarks from Ms. Shomi Kim, GGGI Country Representative and Mr. Koen Everaert, Deputy Head of Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Cambodia. In the opening speech, H.E. Meas Sophal said, “In the previous PSC meeting, the project was directed to achieving better and efficient results through stronger collaboration with governmental bodies. The project has achieved that by knowledge sharing and brainstorming among Project Implementation Unit members to enhance the project quality that can be used as a strong foundation for future project activities”.
After the opening ceremony, the Switch Garment project team presented the project’s overall progress. The project team also shared the plan for officially launching the Model Green Factory Program (MGFP), a voluntary tool to be a greener factory. Acknowledged by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation and adopted by TAFTAC, MGFP aims to support the participating factories in reviewing their energy consumption profile, enhancing capacity, and encouraging sustainable energy implementation. Mr. Mahfuzur Rahman, EU Switch Garment Project Manager, said, “The overall implementation of MGFP will follow multiple phases, completion of which will earn the factories a formal recognition from TAFTAC.” He continued, “MGFP activities are aligned with internationally recognized standards and National Energy Efficiency Policy (NEEP) to support and facilitate factories in meeting compliance requirements by buyers and government.”
Mr. Kaing Monika, Deputy Secretary General of TAFTAC, said, “TAFTAC is glad to work with GGGI and Geres to establish and adopt the Model Green Factory Program. The program is expected to be launched soon. This program will assist our members in promoting environmental sustainability and raise their sustainability profile. This will also be one of the essential tools to contribute to our sector’s competitiveness in the global market.”
The project also informed its stakeholders of other milestones. The meeting also noted that the project has successfully completed 50 energy audits and presentations, delivered training on sustainable energy practices to over 200 factory employees (technicians and managers) and mobilized over USD 2.5 million for sustainable energy investment in garment industries. The Project is now working on sustainable biomass and mobilizing investment to enhance better access to finance for the garment industries and energy service providers. Mr. Koen Everaert, Deputy Head of Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Cambodia, mentioned the EU Global Gateway facility, EU guaranty facility, sovereign loan facility and technical assistance facility, which would help the sector access favorable financing schemes.
In addition to progress and updates, the project discussed recommendations and comments from line ministries and consortium partners to enhance the activities. The meeting ended with a closing speech by H.E. Heng Eang, Advisor to the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation. The next meeting of PSC is proposed to be held in May 2024.