Within the USAID Project – “Partnership for Better Business Regulation”, where EPI CENTAR International is implementer of the Project, along with the three Chamber partners: the Economic Chamber of Commerce of Macedonia, the ICT Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Chamber of North West Macedonia, in cooperation with the Textile Trade Association - Textile cluster and the support of the Dutch Embassy and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Macedonia are organizing the TexRex Forum "Possibilities and Challenges for Recycling Textile Waste" on June 29, 2017 in hotel Holiday Inn, starting at 10:30h.
The purpose of the event is to present the current challenges in the textile industry in Macedonia related to the contract manufacturing production. Mainly the focus will be directed towards the issues arising with the remaining production materials – textile waste, related customs procedures for handling textile waste, and possible solutions for waste treatment and recycling.
Residual textile waste is inevitable in the textile production process, and the quantities vary between 5-20% depending on the type of production. This waste is subjected to certain customs procedures which are often complicated and put pressure on the production in terms of time and costs. Undoubtedly, by this the company’s competitiveness is greatly affected, with timely and financial implications. Moreover the current practices are resulting in great environmental pressure, since the textile waste is treated inadequately and without sustainable plan for storage and further utilization.
At the same time, customs procedures such as the speed of completion of customs operation, banking guarantees and irregular records for waste discharge are often challenging and thus, the business community is requesting for appropriate solutions to be developed.
The event will bring together relevant international and domestic experts that can present and discuss ideas and practices which re already used internationally, and that can be replicated and adjusted to the specific needs of the textile production in Macedonia.
Main points of discussion will be:
- Volume of textile waste in Macedonia and its environmental impact
- Technical aspects of textile waste recycling, its opportunities for new products and the consequences for the industry
- European practice of customs treatment of waste from temporary imports and origin of recycled products
The presentations will also include recommendations for solutions to be proposed as part of the follow-up Project activities. All present participants will have the opportunity to participate in the discussion and to contribute in the development of the most suitable proposals for targeted changes in the business regulative.
It is expected that the event will be attended by representatives from the business community, public and private institutions, public waste enterprises, customs officials, USAID high-ranking officials, and the media.
It is expected that all present participants will become aware of the latest challenges of the textile industry in the selected topics. At the same time it is expected that all present participants will understand their vital role in the process of tailor-made solutions, guided by the SMEs opinion and needs for improvement and development.
The Acting Mission Director of USAID Macedonia, the international and domestic experts, and all implementing partners involved in the project will be available for media statements.
Considering the latest eco-disaster that occurred, caused by a fire in a landfill near Struga, Macedonia, the issues with waste treatment are hot topic, now more than ever. Therefore it is expected that the media will be interested to know how the Project will be able to impact the identified challenges.
However it should be noted that concrete actions for improvement of the business regulation will be addressed to relevant institutions, when all related factors will be properly assessed. The Project will represent the voice of the business community and will lobby and advocate their needs for improvement and development.