Compliance with the environmental aspects of the apparel manufacturers in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Compliance with environmental aspects is the first step to be undertaken by the apparel manufacturers to reduce the environmental footprint. In the Republic of Moldova, the apparel manufacturing industry is based on several international cooperation practices, which leads to increased levels of environmental pollution, mainly through the generated waste. The manufacturing processes and the applied technologies increase electricity consumption and generate significant amounts of waste. Obviously, many companies do not know the basic responsibilities and environmental obligations, nor do they know how they can be applied. Under these conditions, the development of proactive practices becomes a natural approach, especially to prevent sanctions for non-compliance with mandatory requirements. The article highlights the steps to be undertaken by the factories to ensure maximum compliance with mandatory requirements imposed by the authorities and the voluntary requirements selected autonomously, in respect to the environmental issues reflected by the legal provisions of the Republic of Moldova harmonized with the European Union law. The authors conducted a qualitative analysis of all requirements and reflected how several apparel factories from the Republic of Moldova apply these pratices in their activities. The results of the analysis provide valuable and useful insights for application and will generate several beneficial effects, such as awareness and compliance with environmental issues, control of economic activity in terms of environmental impact, and confidence to create and provide sustainable value to stakeholders. The presented materials provide a framework through which apparel manufacturers in the Republic of Moldova will take responsibility for their contribution and impact on the ecosystem in which they operate.