Good Practices in the Global Apparel Industry
Good Practices in the Global Apparel Industry provides valuable insight on ways for small and medium-sized enterprises to move up the value chain and away from low-value contract manufacturing.
ITC publications bring the business voice to sustainable trade, with a focus on developing countries. We offer guidance for trade policymakers, business support organizations and small firms. Our reports offer insights to make trade more inclusive, green, digital and competitive.
Nepal could lose 4.3% of exports because of tariff changes when it graduates from least developed country status in 2026. The removal of preferential tariffs will especially affect the apparel, synthetic textile fabric and carpet sectors. Losses will mostly occur in exports to China, the European...
Cotton by-products – such as cottonseed oil and oilcakes – can contribute meaningfully to reducing poverty, creating jobs and increasing economic growth in Africa. These derivatives can represent up to 30% of the value of seed cotton. Yet oil and cakes have not been fully exploited, despite a...
This guide is a showcase of successful public-private dialogue in developing countries. It demonstrates the value of business advocacy on trade policy issues featuring the Barbadian tourism industry, customs services in Ghana, Thailand’s automotive industry, Penang, Malaysia’s export...
This report outlines women’s roles in cotton production in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It compares women’s participation in the total workforce in these regions and suggests how to improve competitiveness by re-evaluating the roles of women.
Cotton production is both a contributor to and a ‘victim’ of climate change. Agricultural production, processing, trade and consumption contribute up to 30% of the world’s emissions when forest clearance is included in the calculation. Cotton production contributes to between 0.3% and 1% of...
The sector for leather and leather products plays an important role in many of the poorest countries in Africa, and leather manufacturing can be a significant employment generator in a number of these countries. While leather imports into South Africa declined over five years to only US$ 109 million...
The coffee sector has a huge potential to contribute to poverty alleviation in East Africa, but the sector’s development is hampered by a lack of savings and credit facilities. Moreover, women’s access to financial services is even more restricted than that of men, and most women in rural areas...
The clothing industry can be an important employment generator for many African countries. Clothing imports into South Africa rose over a five-year period to US$ 1.1 billion in 2009, making it the world’s twenty-fifth largest importer of this product group. Most imports were from Asia. However,...
This study invites national legislators as well as all those involved in enhancing the national business environment to consider secured financing schemes that will allow an increase in the amount of credit offered to SMEs. The reasoning is simple: allow as collateral property that SMEs usually...