Textile Waste Opportunities for Circular Textiles, Garments & Footwear in Cambodia
Global Fashion Agenda and GIZ are organising an event on May 16th in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to explore opportunities of valorising textile waste and creating circular business models in fashion & footwear manufacturing that bring value to the region. The event concludes with a social gathering.
Senior Consultant and Senior Business Mentor
Boleap Born, senior consultant and senior business mentor based in Phnom Penh. Boleap has more than seven years of experience in business development, strategic design, training, Monitoring & Evaluation communication, facilitation at different national and government levels, market identification and marketing planning. He is also a sought-after mentor and coach for entrepreneurs in various sectors in Cambodia, mainly with young women, MSMEs and SME as well as the clean energy sector.
Innovation Associate, Fashion for Good
Mariana is an Innovation Associate at Fashion for Good, where she leads the Strategic Supplier Initiative, focusing on the initial implementation of innovative technologies within the organisation's portfolio. She is skilled in developing and maintaining effective supplier relations and collaborates closely with supply chain partners to support the adoption of sustainable technologies. Mariana holds an MA in Fashion and Sustainability and has worked as a sustainability program consultant for Singapore's Fashion Council, as well as an Innovative Textiles Researcher. She has also helped develop sustainability-focused curriculums at circular fashion consultancies.
Senior Manager, Sustainability, Crystal International Group Limited
Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel
Mr Edwin Keh is the CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. He also teaches supply chain operations in the Operations, Information and Decisions Department of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Edwin had a career as senior executive with several international consumer goods and retail companies. He was granted a number of awards, including the Medal of Honor in 2020 by the HKSAR Government for his research work during the pandemic, one of the best of Top 50 Innovative Retail Leaders by Inside Retail Hong Kong in 2019. Edwin holds multiple IPs which won global invention awards.
Director of Department of Solid Waste Management, Environmental Protection Directorate, Ministry of Environment of Cambodia
Mr. DY Kiden works as director of Department of Solid Waste Management, Environmental Protection Directorate, Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, since 2015. He got Master Degree of Engineering from Toyohashi University, Japan, in 2005.
Secretary-General, Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia
Ken Loo holds a Ph.D in Economics and Finance and he joined the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) in February 2002. GMAC is the umbrella association representing all exporting garment and footwear manufacturers in Cambodia and currently have more than 530 garment factory members and 60 footwear members. As its Secretary-General , Ken oversees the day to day running of the secretariat of the association and represents the sector when dealing with various departments and Ministries within the Royal Government of Cambodia. This advocacy role also extends to representing the industry when interacting with other stakeholders such as developmental agencies like the World Bank, International Labor Organisation etc. Another major role is to represent employers in our sector when dealing with trade unions and other industrial relations issues such as minimum wage negotiations.
Regional Coordinator for Chemicals and Pollution Action Subprogramme, United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Dr Mushtaq Ahmed has been serving at global, regional, and national levels through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in various capacities since 2005. Currently, He is working as the Regional Coordinator for Chemicals and Pollution Action for Asia and the Pacific. He also continues to serve as the Regional Coordinator for Resource Efficiency, the Global Coordinator for COVID-19 waste management, and UNEP Representative for Pakistan’s UN Country Team. At UNEP since 2005, He has a long experience in closing the loop across the value chain based on the lifecycle to achieve resource efficiency, carbon neutrality zero waste and pollution, and restore the ecosystem and nature. He has an extensive experience globally in holistic waste management (solid waste, liquid waste/wastewater, and gaseous emissions/air pollution and climate change). He has an interdisciplinary academic background in environmental management. He has been engaged with various international development projects and programmes for more than 30 years. His expertise includes project planning and implementation including research and extension for urban environmental services and infrastructure with a major focus on financial mechanisms, community participation, public-private partnerships, institutional reforms, and role of the international cooperation for local capacity building. At UNEP-IETC, He was engaged with resource augmentation by tapping renewable resources and by utilizing waste and wastewater. I was actively implementing the “Kitakyushu Initiative for a Clean Environment,” a UN/ESCAP Type-Initiative. He also has extensive experience of living overseas and working with local and international teams in various contexts. He also has good experience in organizing and managing workshops, training courses, and activities related to awareness raising, knowledge management, technology support and capacity building. He has been implementing national and city-level strategies for holistic waste management (solid waste, wastewater and gaseous emissions). He was also working as Director for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in Pakistan for 4 years. He has also served as a Port Engineer for 6 years. At ROAP, He served as the Sub-programme Coordinator for Resource Efficiency. He led UNEP’s COVID-19 Response in the Medical and Humanitarian Phase focusing on COVID-19 waste management. He also served as Project Manager till 2022 for the Regional Policy Advocacy Component of the EU-funded SWITCH-Asia Programme to promote sustainable consumption and production and uptake of SDG 12 in Asia. He also implemented GO4SDGs in the region and led the Low-Carbon Lifestyle Challenge Startups. He has a Doctorate in Environmental and Resource Economics from Hiroshima University in Japan, a MSc from the University of Bradford in the UK, a postgraduate diploma in Transport and Undergrad in Civil Engineering from Pakistan, and schooling at Cadet College Petaro in Pakistan. He has also published various papers in international journals and has delivered various training programmes.
Responsible Business Hub Coordinator, Eurocham
Sara Monti is an Italian qualified lawyer with 10 years of experience in M&A, International Commercial Law and Corporate law at prestigious law firms in Milan, Beijing and Shanghai. She counts several experiences at academic level at Tsinghua University and Peking University in China; she obtained a Master Certificate from the Harvard Business School on Sustainable Business Strategy and a Certificate of Completion on Labour&Human Rights at the Council of Europe. Based in Cambodia since 2020, she assisted the Textile Apparel Footwear and Travel Goods Association in Cambodia (TAFTAC) in the procedure in front of the EU General Court about the Everything-But-Arms (EBA) withdrawal. She’s currently acting as Senior Responsible Business Hub Coordinator at Eurocham with specific expertise on sustainability and responsible business practices.
Senior Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd.
Sumit has over 7 years of experience in the field of textiles strategy consulting. He has worked on multiple assignments in the sector with private players, International Development organizations, and the government. His areas of focus include cleaner production, resource efficiency, circularity, diagnostic studies for textile business performance improvement, opportunity assessment, strategy development, etc. Sumit has experience of working in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Mali, etc. across various textile sector assignments. Sumit holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from NMIMS (Mumbai, India) and a Bachelor's in Textile Technology from the Technological Institute of Textile and Sciences (Haryana, India).
Executive Vice President, C. Illies & Co.
Christoph Peters is the Executive Vice President of the German trading and service company, C. Illies & Co., where he manages the operations in Vietnam. Illies is a solution provider for investment goods across industries in Asian markets. Christoph studied Business Administration with majors in Finance at the HSBA University in Hamburg, Germany. After earning the bachelor degree 2007 Christoph gained experiences in the head quarter's Controlling Department, later for the division Plant Engineering in CIS countries. Since 2011 Christoph has been branch manager in Vietnam, leading the bureaus in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Being passionate about new technical solutions and future markets Christoph has been monitoring the developments, especially in Cambodia and Myanmar. Being engaged in Asia´s predominant textile and flexible packaging industry for the last decade Christoph has developed a particular personal interest to market commercially viable recycling solutions. Apart from managing Illies, Christoph is active in sports, such as basketball and bouldering. Christoph is married and father of three children.
Partner, Gherzi ASEAN
James Phillips is a partner at Gherzi ASEAN, currently based in Hanoi and setting up the operation in the region. He has over 30 years of international experience in senior leadership roles across High Tech, Automotive, and Apparel industries. He has managed multiple development, manufacturing, and sales sites in countries such as Thailand, China, Vietnam, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Ethiopia, and the USA. James is a dedicated and experienced leader with a focus on developing people and teams to build excellence. He has set up the Made To Measure business with a 4-9 day turnaround for tailored product D2C delivery and worked with VITAS and industry voices to set up the Sustainability Committee for the industry. James holds an MBA from the University of Southern Queensland and a Mini MBA from INSEAD.
Managing Director, Recycle Raw
I am passionate for sustainability from the beginning of my career. I want to engage myself in this noble job which supports our earth to extend its longevity. I did my M.Sc in Recycle fashion design from Wuhan textile University, China & after that I have taken decision to enter my family business (textile waste sorting) & move it forward step by step & take into global level.
Country Director, GIZ in Cambodia
Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation
His Excellency SARUN Rithea is Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation. Before that, he was Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft. In the previous governmental terms, he has served as Under Secretary of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction for two mandates and as the Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for two mandates. His Excellency Secretary of State SARUN Rithea holds many Degrees from France (Sciences Po and ENA) as well as from Singapore (Civil Service College) and China (China Executive Leader Academy).
Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd.
Arindam has more than 24 years of diverse professional experience in the textile and apparel sector. He has led consulting assignments in the areas of ESG, business transformation, policy development, capacity building, impact assessment, project/policy implementation, investment promotion, etc. He has worked extensively with Government, Public Sector, International Development Agencies, and the private sector in India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Mali, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and other South East Asian countries. Arindam holds a Masters of Technology degree in Textile Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi, India), an Executive Masters in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (Delhi, India), and has also completed Oxford Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme from Oxford University.
Unders Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia
Mr. Pak Sokharavuth, joined the Ministry of Environment in 1993. He has been working in various fields related to environmental policy and planning, Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Protection, Montreal Protocol, sustainable energy, etc. To begin career as Deputy Director of the Pollution Control Department, and then Director the Air Quality and Noise Management, Deputy Director General, Director General and Under Secretary of Sate. He also appointed as the focal point for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplet the Ozone Layer since 2001, with over responsible of the Montreal Protocol Implementation in Cambodia.
Coordinator for Environment and Due Diligence, GIZ Fabric
Kristin Sommer works as Coordinator for Environment and Due Diligence for the GIZ FABRIC project based in Cambodia with the aim of fostering sustainability in the textile and garment sector. She has been working on environmental sustainability in manufacturing in Asia for the last 10 years with stations in Indonesia, India and Cambodia. Especially the topics of sustainable supply chains and cleaner production have been the center of her work, especially with the food processing and garment industry. Prior to joining GIZ, she worked for a sustainability consultancy and an international NGO. She has a background in economics and environmental management
Deputy Chairman and Committee Chair on Taxation, TAFTAC
Albert Tan is the TAFTAC Deputy Chairman and Committee Chair on Taxation, where he supports members on tax issues and new tax policies. With over 20 years of experience in the garment manufacturing industry in Cambodia, he has managed various companies with a total workforce of over 19,000 employees. He has also served on the GMAC Exco committee since 1998, holding the Treasure position from 2001 to 2021. Additionally, he is a strong advocate of green energy and waste recycling, and has served as the Singapore Club President for two terms.
Integrated Expert of GIZ Fabric Project, EUROCHAM
Massimiliano Tropeano moved to India 20 years ago, successfully heading 3 buying offices for major Italian brands with responsibilities in buying, sourcing, production, quality, merchandising, CSR, etc. passing through hard goods and children care items, including sourcing in markets like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Moved to Cambodia in 2016 with a major German retail chain, Massimiliano recently joined the EUROCHAM as integrated Expert of GIZ Fabric Project, where he is trying to bridge the gap between private enterprises and development world, bringing them together to a further level of cooperation and sustainability. Renewable Energies, Recycling and Environmental topics within the garment sector are his area of expertise.
Programme Manager, Reverse Resources
As a Programme Manager at RR, Harshitha leads global multi-stakeholder projects and initiatives. She has worked on projects such as the Circular Fashion Partnership in Bangladesh and the Sorting For Circularity project in India. She is also responsible for synthesizing programme learnings and aligning RR's digital tools and services with the business needs. In her past roles, she was an entrepreneur in the packaging products' manufacturing sector and also an investment banker in the impact investing space.
Impact Programmes & Sustainability Director
Holly Syrett is the Impact Programmes & Sustainability Director at Global Fashion Agenda. Her responsibilities include contributing to the strategic mission and sustainability agenda, driving GFA’s impact programmes such as the Circular Fashion Partnership and ensuring strategic engagement with key stakeholders and partners. Holly Syrett joined Global Fashion Agenda as Senior Sustainability Manager in May 2020 to mobilise and guide the fashion industry to take bold action on sustainability by researching, project leading and writing new and existing GFA publications, commitments and reports such as the CEO Agenda. Syrett brings 10 years of experience working on sustainability and transparency programmes in the fashion industry for both public and professional audiences. Syrett is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Climate Reality Leader and she holds a BA in Fashion and Branding from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. As part of the Global Shapers’ Community, she co-founded the Shaping Fashion movement that is now active in 50+ cities worldwide.
Impact Programme Manager
Shamiul Hoque is Impact Programme Manager at Global Fashion Agenda (GFA). His responsibilities include driving the impact programs and deliverables in the focused regions. He is also responsible for managing relationships with and supporting our program partners. Shamiul joined GFA in April 2023 and has 13+ years of background in managing sustainability programs with renowned brands, retailers, and sustainability service providers. He is knowledgeable in sustainable materials management, material integrity, sustainable and circular product design, supply chain transparency & traceability.
As a participant, you will hear from leading local stakeholders, have the possibility to review best practices from other countries and share your organisations’ circularity ambitions and priorities. Topics of discussion will include textile waste segregation, business incentives and recycling technology requirements.
The event will take place in-person and is intended to be interactive and interdisciplinary, welcoming moreover an audience of manufacturers, brands, recyclers and recycling technologies, textile waste handlers, government representatives and associations.
Please RSVP by May 9th 2023, your application will be reviewed by our team and further correspondence will follow per e-mail.
The event will be in English and translations to Khmer and Mandarin will be available.
A full schedule with speakers and more information will be provided in advance. Whereas online participation is not possible, a report of findings will be provided after the event.
