The European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia and the Cambodia Garment Manufacturers Association have strengthened their relationship through the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoU). This MoU will be valid indefinitely and clearly defines the 2 association cooperation projects.
The purpose of this MoU is to promote closer cooperation between the two associations and their members, support Cambodia’s European clothing companies and fashion brands, and promote Cambodia’s presence in European and ASEAN markets Opportunity.
More significantly, this MoU was signed on March 16 at the Cambodia Fashion Training Institute in Phnom Penh, the country. As the first action under the new cooperation, the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia will establish a public training program with the Cambodia Fashion Training Institute, focusing on sustainable textile sourcing, occupational safety and health (OSH), and compliance. The European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia and the Cambodian Garment Manufacturers Association stated in a joint press release that the training program is also supported by the FABRIC program of the German development agency GIZ. This multi-year program mainly promotes sustainability and social responsibility in the Asian textile and apparel industry.
Other areas of cooperation include: addressing issues related to sustainable production and environmental awareness in the production chain, exploring opportunities in Industry 4.0, and assisting European brands to produce responsibly from Cambodia. purchase.
Tassilo Brinzer, Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, said: The European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia brings together representatives of large European fashion brands, which are important to Cambodia’s garment and manufacturing industry, as well as local, innovative small and medium-sized enterprises. , factories and surrounding enterprises (such as auditing and logistics companies that mainly serve the garment industry and its export industry), etc., occupy a key position. Therefore, our members have a strong synergistic effect, making us a powerful organization that can promote the interests of the industry and stakeholders. Adopting new initiatives such as the EU Supply Chain Due Diligence Act will be quite beneficial to accessing export opportunities. We are delighted that leading industry organization, the Cambodian Garment Manufacturers Association, can be our partner on this important journey. We look forward to our collaboration being fruitful and bringing European information and perspectives to the wider Cambodian clothing, footwear and clothing industry.
Kong Sang, chairman of the Cambodian Garment Manufacturers Association, pointed out: Cambodia and the EU have always been major trading partners. The success of the industry and the exponential growth of exports are largely due to the preferential trade treatment of the European Union’s EBA program. It is important to continue to maximize economic benefits through more growth potential. The signing of the MoU establishes valuable cooperative relationships to influence relevant policies by building production capacity in multiple fields and proposing joint initiatives, thereby increasing industrial competitiveness.
The joint press release also added that before the signing of the MoU, the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia had established an “Apparel and Manufacturing” Industry Committee to gather relevant members to jointly initiate initiatives.
The cooperation between the Cambodian Garment Manufacturers Association and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia predicts that the Cambodian government will soon release a new five-year development strategy for the clothing, footwear and travel products industry, making it Transform into a highly competitive industry that is environmentally sustainable, resilient and resilient, and focuses on high value and product uniqueness.
Cambodia’s clothing and footwear exports in 2021 amounted to US$11.38 billion (exports to Europe are still large), and they remain an important pillar of the country’s economy. The Cambodian Garment Manufacturers Association and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia are committed to supporting the sustainable development of the industry in a responsible manner to increase the welfare of the Cambodian people.
