New technology, cleaner production methods, judicious use of resources and better training are needed to make Cambodia’s garment industry more competitive, productive and efficient, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) national project coordinator Hak Sokchea recently told the Textile and Apparel Southeast Asia Summit 2019 in Phnom Penh. “Improving resource efficiency in factories and industries could offset any expense caused by current uncertainty over the withdrawal of the European Union’s Everything-but-arms (EBA) privilege from Cambodia,” Cambodian media reports quoted Sokchea as saying. Apart from manufacturing industries of a certain type or size, cleaner production can also be applied to the provision of services, he said. UNIDO is working this year with 10 garment factories in the country and plans to work with 50 manufacturers. With UNIDO’s support, manufacturers can cut energy consumption by 20-30 per cent and water use by 10 per cent, he said. “We don’t expect to fully offset the cost of losing EBA status through implementing more resource-efficient management, but strengthening resource efficiency will help strengthen the company’s competitiveness as we will see more productive and happy workers,” he added.
