Social and Sustainable Economic Transformation

The report highlights the achievements of Better Work, a program by the ILO and IFC, tackles challenges in the garment industry. It aims for good working conditions and business growth together. They work in 12 countries, helping factories follow labor laws and improve competitiveness. Their methods include assessments, training, and encouraging communication between workers,employers, and governments. Better Work's research shows positive impacts on workers' lives, businesses, and garment industry as a whole.

This Short Note aimed to develop a more comprehensive UN approach, tackling issues like human rights and ethical labor practices within the fashion sector. Essentially, the event focused on how the UN can work together to create a more sustainable future for fashion.

To analyze SSCM in the fast fashion industry, this study compares the sustainability reports of H&M and Everlane, industry leaders with strong sustainability messaging. This comparison reveals that fast fashion has failed to sufficiently engage upstream and downstream stakeholders in their SSCM strategies. Moving forward, fast fashion companies should incentivize collaboration towards more comprehensive SSCM policies throughout the supply chain. 

The H&M Foundation's Saamuhika Shakti project (2020-2026) tackles social inclusion in India's textile recycling industry. This initiative empowers informal waste pickers, a marginalized group, by integrating them into the recycling value chain. By treating waste as a valuable resource, Saamuhika Shakti aims to create a more sustainable and equitable circular economy in India's textile sector.

This report identifies the main trends and challenges that are shaping the fashion, textile, and fine crafts sector in Africa in order to provide evidence-based policy recommendations for sustainable growth.

High school students in Uganda are tackling plastic pollution with creativity and business savvy. Through the Asante Africa Foundation's program, they learned leadership and entrepreneurship skills. Now, they're using recycled plastic to create and sell artwork, transforming waste into income. Their "Together as One Initiative" aims not only to clean up their community but also to empower others through education and sustainable solutions.

The Goethe-Institut Jordan initiated the takween Product Design Fellowship programme as part of the Cultural and Creative Industries project. The programme offers a hands-on training for product designers and digital designers to enhance their skills and develop innovative sustainable ideas for the modern market.

The Goethe-Institut Jordan established the takween Circular Design training programme to provide an opportunity for aspiring designers, creatives, and entrepreneurs from diverse fields, such as architecture, fashion, as well as product and packaging design, to develop sustainable product ideas that promote a cleaner planet.

From dance to puppetry, museums to festivals, indigenous creators to intangible heritage practitioners, thousands of individuals and organizations joined the movement to make their voices heard. Over 350 ResiliArt roundtables were organized in less than two and a half years, providing UNE-SCO with an unprecedented number of first-hand accounts of what it means to be a creator today and pointing towards the necessary transformations to ensure a more sustain-able sector.

At the heart of the cultural and creative industries are people. Artists and creators who innovate, challenge norms, inspire and entertain. Their works generate new social energy, confidence and engagement that can improve the everyday lives of people. Their innovations and creative expressions drive development processes that can widen people’s choices and inspire them to imagine alternative futures. As such, the cultural and creative industries can contribute to the promotion of peace, democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, gender equality and the rule of law.