During the third week of October, SMART Myanmar hosted two public awareness events in major cities of Myanmar, Yangon and Mandalay. The consumer awareness event is named as "Value Your Clothes" campaign and this campaign was targeted to the public as an approach to the fashioning sustainable lifestyles as well as is focused on discussing sustainable purchasing practices in the fashion and apparel retail sector. The objective of the campaign is to provide Myanmar apparel consumers greater awareness on Sustainable Consumption and Production within the Myanmar textile and garment Industry and to promote responsible consumption in accordance with "Sustainable Consumption and Production" which is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12).
On October 13th from 3pm to 6pm, the EU-funded SMART Myanmar project organized a public event at People's Square Park, Yangon. Featuring panelists and speakers such as the popular Myanmar travel blogger ma Chilli, book author Wai Phyo Maung, Hsu Yin Win, a social compliance expert from SMART Myanmar and ma Phyu Ei Thein from Sunflowers Organic Dye Studio and this half-day event was designed to stimulate thinking around the concept of "sustainable lifestyles". Also participating in SMART's Oct.13th event was Swap-Up Yangon, an enterprise focused on the business model of "swapping/trading" clothes instead of buying new. Chu Chu, a social enterprise which turns waste into usable products was also featured with a booth.
On October 19th from 9am to 3pm, the project also organized again an consumer awareness event at Diamond Plaza, Mandalay. During the event, about 100 people participated in filling out a survey questionnaire on sustainable consumption. This survey asked consumers about their knowledge on the countries where their clothing is produced, their views on sustainable production and consumption and what they feel makes a sustainable lifestyle. According to the surveys, most consumers are aware of the countries where their clothes are produced but have inadequate knowledge on the concept of "sustainability". Despite this, consumers surveyed accept and consider that a circular economy is important for garment production to become truly sustainable.
As the token of appreciation, SMART Myanmar hosted a lucky draw to gift some participants "made in Myanmar" cotten fabric shopping bags and clothing produced by a local factory. Participants were photographed at a booth with the hashtag #mmsustainablefashion, in order to start a conversation as to what sustainable fashion and sustainable consumption in Myanmar ought to mean.
#ValueYourCothes
#MMSustainableFashion
#ResponsibleConsumer
