The primary objectives of ECOMODA were: - To raise awareness on the importance of sustainable and ethical development in the textile and apparel sector with special focus on Small and Medium sized enterprises. - To design and pilot a high quality e-learning course to upskill the managerial level of enterprises operating in the textiles and apparel sector as well as designers to equip them with the needed knowledge to transform their enterprises. - To upskill the workforce of the aforementioned companies through blended learning in sustainability. - To foster a participatory culture in enterprises where everyone contributes actively to sustainability goals and to support both employers/managers and employees via a digital platform. - Finally, to make it possible for all parties involved to identify the environmental and social impacts of the industry and implement a strategy for the sustainable and ethical development of their enterprise.
EU is the 2nd largest textile and clothing exporting country after China , with an export value of textiles around 66 billion USD. The industry employs 1.5 million people with 160.000 companies in the EU. Being among the most polluting industries, it is crucial for the textile and clothing sector to move towards a more sustainable and ethical future. To make successful transition, the industry needs to address the skills challenges in the sector and align with the EU legislation and the SDGs, especially Goal 12 "Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns". Therefore, ECOMODA project was created to develop a high-level training for companies to upskill environmental, social and economic sustainability skills at managerial level. ECOMODA develops a specialised blended training and tools that can raise awareness among employees in the clothing and textile industry on sustainability. It unfolds green skills to SMEs’ owners, managers, executive staff and workers, but also helps them adapt to the competition of the global market and prove their loyalty to sustainable and ethical production, through their conformity with international and European standards and practices.