Boosting Sri Lanka's textile industry with circular economy
The circular economy gives businesses a model for operating with as little waste as possible. Products get reused, repaired and refurbished for as long as possible.
To show more small businesses in Sri Lanka how to adopt these processes, the ITC local certified trainers’ network teaches more people how to explain the circular economy. Universities, leading textile companies, entrepreneurs and business associations are all taking part.
With over 10 years of experience as a senior lecturer at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, Prabod Dharshana Munasinghe embraced the challenge of teaching a broader audience using a different set of tools.
In January 2025, he conducted his first workshop on the circular economy using the Global Textile Academy platform developed by ITC SME Trade Academy .
Sri Lanka is a key textile and apparel exporter to Europe, the United States and other markets, where demand for sustainable practices is growing.
‘To be competitive, we need to learn what these markets expect,’ he said. For his first experience with scalable workshops developed by the International Trade Centre (ITC), he targeted junior university staff, aiming for a greater long-term impact. ‘In my department, we train human resources for the industry, such as textile engineers, apparel engineers, and fashion designers.’
Multiplier effect across the textile industry in Sri Lanka
In the coming months, Munasinghe plans to hold sessions for design teams and sustainability staff at a major apparel manufacturer in Sri Lanka. He is also organizing workshops to promote circular economy principles in traditional crafts.
In the long term, he advocates for expanding circular economy education beyond universities and corporate settings. ‘If we truly want a sustainable mechanism for these initiatives, we must start from schools — beginning with secondary and even primary education.’
Empowering local trainers
The initiative is part of the Global Textiles and Clothing programme (GTEX), which was first piloted Sri Lanka. The e-learning platform used in the workshops and trainings enables local trainers to deliver content, reducing costs, building capacity, and expanding access.
‘Unlike traditional workshops that require flying in international experts for each session, scalable workshops use a training-of-trainer methodology,’ said Guillaume Lamothe from the ITC Trade Academy.
A workshop in Sri Lanka from 16 to 19 December 2024 trained 70 participants, with 19 people newly certified and ready to deliver sessions. The workshop attracted participants from academia and major companies' sustainability departments in Sri Lanka.
‘The goal is to train 500 industry professionals and students in Sri Lanka by 2025,’ says Matthias Knappe, Head, Fibres, Textiles, and Clothing Unit of ITC.
About the SME Trade Academy
The SME Trade Academy is the online learning platform of the International Trade Centre. It offers over 100 online courses on trade and trade-related topics. Currently, the e-learning platform has recorded over 600,000 individual enrolments in its courses and issued over 90,000 certificates of completion.
The courses are designed for entrepreneurs, business-support organizations, government agencies, students, and trade professionals looking to expand their knowledge.
