Driving Sustainable Chemical Management in Egypt

Egypt’s apparel and textile industry is entering a new growth phase and strengthening its position as one of the most promising apparel sourcing destinations, connecting Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The industry offers many opportunities for improved sustainability performance, export growth and job creation. The European market for sustainable products is growing rapidly, offering strong opportunities in mid and higher-end markets. Egypt is in a unique position, as it has a long history of supplying high-quality products, is vertically integrated, and has strong nearshoring opportunities.

In 2022, CBI launched a project to support the Egyptian textiles sector's transition to a resilient, environmentally and socially conscious one that adopts new business models and innovative production practices to improve its sustainability performance and enter the European market. It aims to accelerate the transition to a higher-quality, more competitive and inclusive sector, as well as to support a selected group of frontrunners in creating iconic pilot projects that demonstrate improved business models that address the critical transition trends affecting the sector, such as climate change, digitalisation and innovation. 

Sustainable chemical management is an important part of this journey, and ZDHC got involved here. In 2024, ZDHC and one of ZDHC’s Approved Solution Providers, “Fashion Consulting Solutions” (FCS), hosted a ZDHC introduction presentation as part of a market orientation mission to The Hague, hosted by CBI, for the Egyptian organisations in the textiles and apparel sector. Subsequently, as part of the CBI project, FCS hosted three in-person ZDHC Chemical Management training sessions in Cairo for 33 Egyptian organisations, of which the majority were wet-processing facilities. The sessions included one introductory training and two technical trainings, focusing on the implementation of sustainable chemical management and how to engage with the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme. 

Most who participated at the beginning didn’t know ZDHC. During the training, FCS outlined how ZDHC supports the development of a sustainable chemical management system and the use of platforms to support monitoring throughout. During the training, wet-processing facilities were supported by FCS in creating ZDHC Gateway accounts and gaining access to ZDHC Supplier to Zero. This encouraged the participants to further develop and improve their sustainable chemical management system and begin their journey with the ZDHC. 

Besides the training, FCS also supported Egyptian facilities in implementing improvements both on the production floor and to their chemical management systems. By making regular visits to the facilities and supporting them in working with the ZDHC Gateway and motivating them to use Performance In-check and Clearstream Reporting, improvements were demonstrated.

El Helal is a great example that shows how motivated management and employees can make huge progress in a relatively short time. Their time invested in the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme led to a new ZDHC Signatory Brand client. 

Learn more about their journey through this video!

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_{About CBI
CBI is commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and is part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. CBI promotes sustainable production and trade between low and middle-income countries and Europe. They partner with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their ecosystem to strengthen social and environmental sustainability.}

_{About FCS
Fashion Consulting Solutions (FCS) is a Netherlands-based training provider with extensive experience in textile processing. They provide standard ZDHC training as well as tailor-made training programmes to brands, retailers and manufacturers. They specialise in raising awareness, strategy development and implementing chemical management systems to help reduce restricted substances in supply chains.}

_{‍About El Helal
El Helal Company is a vertically integrated garment manufacturer with a strong presence in the textile and apparel industry. They offer a comprehensive range of services within their vertically integrated facilities, including knitting, dyeing, screen printing, rotary printing and sewing. This extensive range of services allows them to maintain full control over the production process. As a result, El Helal stands out as a unique, vertically integrated company, offering all aspects of garment production under one roof, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency at every stage}