Thailand Envisages ‘Green’ Textile Sector

Witoon Simachokdee, Permanent-Secretary for Textile Industry recently stated that, keeping in line with the Creative Economic Policy of the government, Thailand’s textile industry would be developed to grow into a sustainable or 'green products' industry.

According to Witoon, the Thai textile industry expanded over 20 per cent this year, counting around more than US$7 billion in total. He said growth of over 20 per cent is forecast for next year's business value.

Virat Tandechanurat, Director of the Thailand Textile Institute stated that, the development plan for Thailand’s clothing and textile industry for 2011 is aimed at further enhancing the production capacity and as a single stop service for matters related to textiles. Further that, the natural resources of the country, its history and culture may all be used for adding value proposition to textiles, so as to develop a more sustainable textile industry.

The aim is to develop 13 projects in the current year to attain the goal of ‘green products’.

Presently, Thailand ships more than US$ 7.2 billion worth of textile and clothing products each year, around 10 percent of which are green textile items. The country mainly exports these green products to Japan and EU markets, as consumers there are ready to spend 20-30 percent more for these green products, above the cost of usual textile items.

Currently, Thailand leads the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for green products, while countries like Japan, Taiwan, European Union countries, South Korea and China have already excelled in this field of developing green products.

If you are a provider of “green technology and products,” come explore the expanding business opportunities and register your brand in the mind of industrial leaders with exclusive opportunities to get your business deal “done” at GFT 2012  from 20 - 23 June 2012 (Wed – Sat) at BITEC, Bangkok. The show is co-located with Garment Manufacturers Sourcing Expo (GMS) 2012 to serve end-to-end demands for new garment and textile production technologies and a comprehensive range of accessories by 270 exhibitors from 25 countries. Moreover, the 2nd ASEAN Garment and Textile Summit will deliver new know-how required for the industrial and business advancement. Highlighted activities such as Young Designer Awards, Fashion Show and Workshops will further boost the industrial productivity and competitiveness.