In collaboration with partner the Foreign Trade Association of German Retailers (AVE), SMART Myanmar organized the first "Myanmar Consumers Awareness Campaign" on the 17th March 2019 at the Myanmar Plaza Shopping Mall in Yangon. 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).
During the event, 132 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. This information will be used to shape messaging during the rest of SMART's consumer awareness campaign in 2019, to advocate more effectively in future on the importance of sustainable consumption and production. 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.
Almost all consumers reported good habits of donating clothes which they no longer wear to people in need. The 132 participating in the consumer survey represented a variety of age groups from youth to middle-aged adults, and interest in the survey and topic was observed to be quite high. 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. The bags were printed by one of the factories successfully completing SMART Myanmar's Chemical Management & Detox Program and the shirts were provided by a factory who recently participating in a solar feasibility assessment by the SMART Myanmar energy efficiency team. 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.
Last Sunday's campaign launch was a good preliminary step to spread knowledge to the whole of Myanmar on sustainable consumption. With this campaign, people in Myanmar can start getting better knowledge on how to become responsible consumers, so that consumers can request and demand more sustainable products for a healthier environment and cleaner future.
#MMSustainableFashion #ResponsibleConsumer #MadeinMyanmar
