Inclusive Trade: Ethical Fashion Initiative

Summary

This project will contribute to the following aim of W1: innovation. As such, it aims at creating a new set of tools to improve the capacities of EFI’s social enterprises and micro producers to trade in the sustainable fashion market, in order to contribute to a sustainable and resilient value chain for women and  youth. The main problem addressed by the project is that of improving firm level capacities of MSMEs to trade in the sustainable fashion market through ESG and the availability of ESG guidelines and tools. 

The project makes the  consolidation and expansion of EFIs supply and value chain possible, thus disclosing cooperation possibilities with other ITC programmes and projects that operate in the areas of refugees, creative industries, women and youth. The  process is supported by partnership and resource mobilization, with the Italian Agency for International Cooperation (ITACOOP), as well as with a private sector donor (Eni Côte d'Ivoire), and through synergies achieved with two planned project interventions with INTPA. 

Technical legitimacy and proof of concept for the tools is achieved through a market test carried out by product prototyping in collaboration with the international network of fashion and lifestyle brands that collaborate with EFI.