Building Climate Resilient Textile Supply Chains in Ethiopia: Policy Solutions for Worker Protection

Wang, Yifan

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/133323 Copy

Description

Title

Building Climate Resilient Textile Supply Chains in Ethiopia: Policy Solutions for Worker Protection

Author(s)

Wang, Yifan

Issue Date

2026-04-14

Keyword(s)

• climate change
• labor migration
• global value chain
• sustainability
• development
• trade

Date of Ingest

2026-05-23T14:48:27-05:00

Abstract

Ethiopia’s garment and textile industry has expanded rapidly, serving as a critical source of employment and integrating the country into global fashion supply chains. However, climate change increasingly threatens the stability of this sector. Droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events compromise agricultural production and disrupt the livelihoods of workers and their families, often necessitating internal migration. These disruptions not only affect local communities but also pose challenges for international supply chains, including the sourcing of sustainably produced textiles. Industrial parks such as Hawassa illustrate efforts toward eco-industrial design and climate-resilient infrastructure, yet labor vulnerabilities persist, particularly among low-income workers and migrants within the sector. This presentation will examine policy and enterprise strategies that address both climate resilience and worker protection in Ethiopia’s garment sector. It will highlight initiatives such as the Bottom Up! program, supported by the European Union and Solidaridad, which advances environmental sustainability and labor standards across cotton and textile value chains alongside with the UNIDO-GIZ partnership, which facilitates adoption of circular economy practices, international social and environmental standards in industrial parks. These programs demonstrate the feasibility of implementing interventions that improve worker welfare while sustaining production under climate stress. The discussion will also identify persisting gaps, including insufficient labor protections, limited climate adaptation measures, and inconsistent enforcement of sustainability standards. The presentation will propose actionable policy recommendations for national policymakers and international development agencies, emphasizing incentives for climate resilient infrastructure, integration of social protections for displaced workers, and the scaling of certification frameworks to align Ethiopia’s textile sector with global sustainable development goals. By linking environmental resilience, labor protection, and economic sustainability, this presentation will contribute to global policy discourse on equitable and climate-adapted industrial development.

Type of Resource

Poster

Genre of Resource

conference poster

Language

eng

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