Green practices recommended to secure sustainable garment export to Canada

 

An official has advised businesses to adopt green practices to secure sustainable growth in textile and garment export to Canada, where Vietnam ranks second among the exporters of such products.

Data of Canada show that Vietnam exported about 1.2 billion USD worth of textile and garments to the North American market in 2021. The export growth stood at 40.8% during 2018 - 2022. By optimising the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which both sides are signatories, the revenue could reach 1.5 billion USD this year.

However, Tran Thu Quynh, Commercial Counsellor and head of Vietnam’s trade office in Canada, said to obtain sustainable export growth, businesses should devise a carbon emission reduction strategy, adopt a circular production model, use recyclable materials and clean energy, and practice energy efficiency.

They also need to stay updated with new certificate systems in the industry and comply with buyers’ report requirements, she told the Vietnam News Agency.

 

The official noted the trade office is working to advertise Vietnamese companies’ capabilities of sustainable and circular production and introduce the firms with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificates to Canadian partners.

Quynh said “greening” is an inevitable trend in the textile and garment industry, forcing businesses in Vietnam to strive for sustainable development.

Notably, in response to Canada’s demand for supply source diversification, India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka have been emerging as strong rivals thanks to their capabilities to manufacture sophisticated products. This is another challenge for Vietnamese businesses, she added.

At Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada held at the Toronto Congress Centre on November 7 - 9, the pavilion of Vietnam is giving international partners an overview of the country’s textile and garment industry, which is working to apply environmentally friendly technology. It is also encouraging major brands of North America to pay attention to CPTPP-created chances for boosting connectivity in production and supply chains with Vietnam.

Also at this event, the largest of its kind in North America, the trade office of Vietnam had a meeting with the head of the Canadian Apparel Federation to discuss cooperation orientations in the industry.

Thanks to complete reopening, Canada’s demand for textile and garment imports has strongly bounced back. Insiders held that there remains relatively much room for Vietnam to increase exports to this market despite considerable competition pressure./.