ITC trains Tajik textile and clothing companies on corporate social responsibility

Two trainings on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the representatives of the textile and clothing companies will be held in Dushanbe (November 12) and Khujand (November 14).

The initiative is organized by the International Trade Centre and funded by the Government of Switzerland within ITC’s Global Textile and Clothing Program.

The purpose of the trainings is to increase the level of knowledge of Tajik textile and clothing enterprises and improve their practical skills in the field of CSR. The trainings contain a theoretical part demonstrating the connection between CSR and sustainable business growth, profitability and access to international markets.  Main approaches in corporate social responsibility in the textile and clothing sector and its elements, economic benefits of good working conditions, stakeholder engagement are in the focus of the training and will be accompanied with practical exercises.  The practical tasks take significant part of the training, during which participants develop a CSR strategy and plan for their enterprises.

Ms. Natalya Kozlenkova, ITC international consultant with more than 12 years of experience in the field, will lead the training.  She says: “The business is responsible for its impact on the society.  The modern day business is not only to profit, but also to ensure product safety, to respect human rights, to improve working conditions, not to pollute the nature and not to destroy the biodiversity, and to ensure transparency and accountability. We are going to talk about all this with the Tajik textile and clothing producers”.

Ms. Kozlenkova says that the topic is very important for the Tajik enterprises working in the new market economy conditions.  Nowadays employers should understand that investments in good working conditions and employee engagement are beneficial for the company and improve its sustainability and productivity.  Behavioral change of new generation consumers and raised level of expectations from investors and civil society on the transparency of value chains incentivize companies to imbed sustainability in their business models. Implementation of CSR practices becomes an imperative for enterprises to enter international markets and, at the same time, results in increased productivity and competitiveness.

The International Trade Centre, supported by the Government of Switzerland, aims to increase the export competitiveness of the Tajik textile and clothing sector by supporting sector companies, and relevant trade support institutions from both public and private sectors.