With water scarcity and water quality affecting many textile production clusters, opportunities for businesses to improve profitability via energy savings, water efficiency, and water quality improvements in the apparel sector are smart industry practice. In parallel, women represent a majority of apparel workers and a significant minority of textile workers. The female workforce is an undervalued asset, often seen merely as cheap labor when their hands-on experience and insights can be a key source for process and technology improvements. Tapping into the ingenuity and innovation on the shop-floor can significantly increase manufacturing efficiencies impacting the bottom line of the companies in which they are employed and reducing the environmental impacts of the surrounding communities. Creating an environment for such engagement can also lead to job security and mobility, enhance health and safety, and open the door for SMEs to offer potential financial and career incentives to women. During this session, companies will discuss efforts to give their workforce a voice on operations (e.g., encouraging a culture of consensus in decision making), incorporate more opportunities for agency, encourage full team inclusion, and provide opportunities for upward mobility that will encourage water sustainability.
Climate change is arguably the pre-eminent challenge of our time and we are already seeing its impacts in the increase of extreme weather incidents almost all involving water. With textile hubs often located in areas most vulnerable to climate impacts, building climate resilience is critical for businesses and communities alike in these regions. Addressing water resilience helps brands and their suppliers not only avoid the financial impacts caused by water stress and flooding, but also reduces environmental, health and social costs associated with poor water quality, and improves relations with neighbors. Seeing as women are often the community builders, caretakers and the backbone of this sector, and are inordinately impacted by water scarcity and extreme weather incidents, they have the potential to play an even stronger role in the solutions.
Embracing water stewardship is broadly recognized as a key means to mitigate water risks facing enterprises, their essential labor force, their suppliers, and communities. As apparel companies seek to mobilize collective action in the communities and basins in which they operate, women represent a key link. This session will explore how companies can work, not only to ensure women’s voices are incorporated in water stewardship efforts in the community, but also how to support creative ideas coming from women in the community that can foster water resilience and ensure textile hub communities are better prepared for the extreme weather events increasingly facing the sector.
