Growing awareness about sustainability has prompted many shoppers to think about where and how they shop, and Egypt’s young entrepreneurs have been happy to oblige. People often think that the term ‘sustainability’ is limited to environmental sustainability, but the concept is far broader than that. Put simply, sustainable shopping entails making purchasing decisions in a way that benefits all parties and elements involved: primarily the community and the environment. Environmental sustainability is the more well-known of the two due to growing awareness of the effects of climate change. However, the term ‘community sustainability’ usually refers to general social welfare and worker rights. Far too often, large clothing brands exploit underprivileged workers by paying them too little in order to maximize profits, so the workers get no reward for their hard work and long – oftentimes inhumane – hours of labor. Although heartbreaking stories of factory workers getting abused or underpaid usually apply to international brands that employ workers in Bangladesh or India, the case in Egypt is sadly not that different. There have been similar incidents in the country, such as the collapse of a factory building in Gesr Al…
Sustainable Brands in Egypt: Supporting the Environment, Community, and Beyond
September 2, 2021
