Burkina Faso’s Textiles Industry is proactively built integrated textiles manufacturing ecosystems leveraging preferential western access since early 2000s to emerge as a key cotton sourcing origin and apparel supply base today directly employing over 30000 citizens across 150 garment factories benefiting from state sponsored vocational training programs though questions around workflows environmentality now take priority amidst sustainability transitions necessitating capability advancements across renewable power usage, water conservation and even product tracability through blockchain integration cooperation prioritizing continued market access prospects globally.
However, nurturing sector technical skills advancement within Burkina Faso’s Textiles Industry, exploring nearshore supply localization through Sahel cotton initiatives and strategically investing into effluents treatment infrastructure hence emerges among foremost policy priorities set. Moreover fostering startups introducing recycled fabrics and forging traceability partnerships with leaders like VeChain can set differentiation as the industry prepares to align with demands.
The Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) has been working in Burkina Faso since 2014, supporting CABES, its social enterprise partner based in Ouagadougou, with a network of 94 cooperatives and over 2400 artisans weaving organic cotton into traditional West African textiles. Despite being a large network of cotton producers and exporters, CABES’ supply chain has a low carbon footprint, with organic farming and sustainable production helping to maintain a low environmental impact. The carbon footprint of cotton production varies greatly, depending on a number of factors, including the variety of cotton, location, natural conditions, and cotton cultivation systems.
CABES products are dyed with natural dyes or GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified reactive dye, which is fully compliant with international environmental standards. In addition, a dyeing facility complete with water treatment systems is now in the planning stages. CABES works closely with Burkinabé farmers to source locally grown organic cotton to produce high-quality export textiles. The cultivation, yarn production, and fabric production stages are major contributors to carbon emissions in conventional cotton. Frequent use of mechanical energy in large-scale production systems can produce high emissions.
Well positioned to advise African apparels manufacturers balance continuity and export competitiveness amidst changing consumer expectations, the ethical manufacturing consulting practice at RFC offers readily relevant ideas guiding producers evaluate green energy adoption, effluents treatment infrastructure establishment and blockchain integration laddering traceability as Burkina Faso uniformed exporting gear gets future-ready!
