REGIONAL EXPERT MEETING FOR AN AFRICAN ECOLABEL SCHEME

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REGIONAL EXPERT MEETING FOR AN AFRICAN
ECO-LABEL SCHEME

• Hosted by
• UNEP and the UN Economic Commission for Africa
• 11 13 June 2007
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Budu Manaka Monday 11 June 2007
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Introduction-NCPC

• NCPC-SA launched at World Summit on Sustainable
  Development in 2002
• NCPC-SA cooperation programme SA dti, Austria and
  Switzerland
• NCPC-SA hosted by CSIR as legal entity and
  incorporated as part of UNIDOs CP programme
  worldwide
• Centre funding
• Phase I co-funded Austria, Switzerland
  South Africa
• Phase II funded via the dti with additional
  donor project funding (Austria, Denmark,
  Switzerland)

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Introduction-NCPC

• Sector focused
• Chemical
• Agro-processing
• Clothing Textile
• Clothing Textile
• Cleaner Textile Production Project
• Initiated 2000- 2003
• Extension Project (2003-2005) Clothing and
  Textile Environmental Linkage Centre
• Integrated into the NCPC-SA (2006-current)

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Sectors Project Steering Committees
The dti
Donors
NCPC-SA
Clothing Textile
Agro- Processing
Chemical
Others
PSC
PSC
PSC
PSC
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Eco-labelling Activities

• Eco-labelled t-shirts at WSSD (2002)
• (Gregory Knitting Mills, Bibbette)
• Cotton bales with EU Flower
• Awareness capacity building
• Articles in trade magazines
• Workshops with designers clothing
  manufacturers
• No kak Fashion Show (2004, 2006 2007)
• Textile procurement guidelines (on hold)

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Eco-labelling Activities cont..

• Organic Conference (June 2007)
• Organic Freedom Project
• Natural and Organic Products Exhibition
• Hemp Group, CSIR, etc
• Danida Organic Cotton Production (not much
  buy-in)
• Organic Wool- Woolworths (retailer)

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Opportunities

• International retailers going green
• Local retailers adopting same route
• Environmental branding gives added-values
  qualities to the product part of a modern
  life-style (niche)
• Possibility for increased market share by acting
  and profiling as a sustainable company
• Possibility for higher prices on market
• There is money in it but it takes an effort !

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Challenges

• Manufacturers
• Price to secure certification
• Which route to follow (organic vs eco-labelling)
  info gap
• Is there really a market out there? Demand.
• Consumers
• Retailers
• Government
• Uncoordinated Policy instruments
• Minimum/lack of enforcement/ encouragement
• Minimum/lack of incentives
• Communication/collaboration with industry
  uncoordinated

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Challenges cont

• Consumers
• Price of products
• Info gap
• Where to get eco- products (locally
  internationally)
• Verification/ traceability
• Certification bodies (SA e.g.)
• Competing with each other
• Lack of information
• Money making strategy?
• Others?

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Conclusion

• Integration into govt policies (existing and
  future)
• Regional ecolabel scheme
• Agency to monitor compliance (verification)
• Access to available markets
• Pricing leveraged for African countries
• Awareness across the different industry pipelines