Publications

Aug 3, 2021

Strengthening Sustainability in the Steel Industry

Today, steel is present in virtually every aspect of people’s lives, from homes and hospitals to roads and other infrastructure that provide the foundation for social and economic development. Steel is among the world’s most recycled materials, with circular economy practices incorporated into various stages of the production cycle. Yet the high-temperature heat vital to its production process still requires large amount of energy. Hence, the iron and steel sector remains among the largest consumers of energy and emitters of carbon dioxide, accounting for 6 to 7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

English | 15 pages | IFC 2021

Aug 3, 2021

Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry

Plastics are the building blocks of many value chains, including packaging, health care, construction, aviation, logistics, clothing, and increasingly, the recycling industry. They play a vital role in driving industrial development, creating jobs, expanding opportunities, and generating wealth to improve people’s lives. But as the use of plastic has increased, so too have the environmental and social costs. The production process uses petrochemicals as a raw material and generates greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps the biggest cost is the waste generated by discarded plastic goods. Most of the common plastics of today are not fully biodegradable, and that has created a cascade of environmental, financial, and health problems around the world.

English | 17 pages | IFC 2021

Aug 3, 2021

Strengthening Sustainability in the Glass Industry

Glass is present in a myriad of products used in both daily life and manufacturing, from beverage containers to windows to fiber optic cables. Its many properties and affordable cost make it an essential material for development, whether in the construction of houses and high rises where people live and work or for use in industries such as agribusiness and automaking.

English | 18 pages | IFC 2021

Feb 8, 2021

Advancing Women's Employment

Why IFC? IFC is the preferred partner for global private sector entities that are at the forefront of leveraging the business case for gender equality. Learn more: Gender-Smart Business Solutions As more women enter the labor market and exert influence as consumers, savvy companies recognize the need to attract and retain more female employees and purchase from women-led companies. IFC’s Gender-Smart Business Solutions program provides clients with the tools and resources to strengthen gender inclusion within their operations, resolve labor issues, increase employee engagement, benefit from inclusive sourcing, and enhance company performance.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2021

Jan 26, 2021

Creating Markets in Ukraine: Country Private Sector Diagnostic

The Ukraine Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) provides IFC & World Bank analysis of growth and investment opportunities, constraints, & policy recommendations.

English | 154 pages | 2021 IFC

Dec 23, 2020

Innovation, Investment, and Emerging Opportunities in Today’s Textile and Apparel Value Chain

Textile and apparel manufacturing is a critical creator of formalized jobs, a well-known path to industrialization, and an enabler of value chain relationships that modernize economies and make them more complex. Today, value chains that support the textile and apparel industries are rapidly evolving. They are integrating new technologies, embracing workplace innovations, adopting sustainable efficiencies, and inventing products and processes to meet the changing demands of global consumers and markets.

English | 8 pages—December—Note 96 | IFC 2020

Dec 21, 2020

Creating Markets in Egypt: Country Private Sector Diagnostic

The Egypt Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) provides IFC & World Bank analysis of growth and investment opportunities, constraints, & policy recommendations.

English - 144 pages | Arabic - 119 pages | 2020 IFC

Dec 17, 2020

How Has COVID-19 Affected Haiti’s Apparel Industry

This joint study of 33 firms from the garment sector, that represent 87 percent of L’Association des Industries d’Haïti's (ADIH) membership and employ around 55,000 formal workers, provides key insights to help public and private decision makers navigate the crisis, and signals opportunities for the sector.

Aug 24, 2020

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Cement Industry

As the COVID-19 outbreak has slowed construction in many countries, the industry has seen lower demand for its products, leading to overcapacity. Cement companies are largely expected to survive the crisis, but they must strengthen their sustainability and competitiveness. Companies must also reduce their carbon emissions for their long-term viability; with the cement sector generating 7 to 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, pressure is growing for the industry to achieve carbon neutrality.

Aug 6, 2020

Factsheet: Advancing Women's Employment

As more women enter the labor market and exert influence as consumers, savvy companies recognize the need to attract and retain more female employees and purchase from women-led companies. This factsheet provides an overview of IFC’s Gender-Smart Business Solutions program that provides clients with tools and resources to strengthen gender inclusion within their operations, resolve labor issues, increase employee engagement, benefit from inclusive sourcing, and enhance company performance.

English | 2 pages | 2020 IFC

Jul 27, 2020

AI Investments Allow Emerging Markets to Develop and Expand Sophisticated Manufacturing Capabilities

As advances in machine learning, computer vision, and robotics help manufacturers around the world improve their processes and produce new and more complex products, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral tool of modern manufacturing, and one that is increasingly important to the industry’s future. By combining large volumes of data with the computing power to simulate human thinking, AI is increasing the efficiency, capacity, and complexity of factory floors, and is introducing robotics, the Internet of Things, and other cutting-edge innovations to manufacturing value chains across the globe.

English | 8 pages – July – Note 87 | IFC 2020

Jul 14, 2020

Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Harassment: Emerging Good Practice for the Private Sector

This publication outlines emerging practices in addressing gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in operations and investments, while accompanying sector-specific briefs provide targeted guidance on addressing GBVH risks in key sectors, including transport, construction and manufacturing.

96 pages | © July 2020 IFC, EBRD, CDC Group | Complimentary

Jan 27, 2020

Case Study: Indorama Corporation

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has abundant natural resources, especially in oil and gas. These resources, when processed, form petrochemicals that are the building blocks of many consumer and industrial products, such as fertilizers, plastics, rubber, and textiles, among others.

English | 4 pages | December 2020

Nov 20, 2019

Case Study: Levi Strauss & Co.

The textile, apparel, and footwear industry serves as a global engine for growth, generating jobs for more than 60 million people, including many women in emerging markets.

English | 4 pages | November 2019

Nov 9, 2019

Fact Sheet: Why Manufacturing Matters

Manufacturing lies at the core of the global economy. Manufacturers bolster demand for raw materials, energy and technology, and they develop relationships and partnerships with suppliers around the world. Their influence ripples up the value chain, encouraging technological and social changes

English | 2 pages | November 2019

Oct 17, 2019

Creating Markets in South Africa: Country Private Sector Diagnostic

Addressing the constraints for private sector development at national and sectoral levels is a critical element of the Government of South Africa’s plan to scale-up investment over the next five years, and thereby stimulate job creation and promote inclusive growth. The South Africa CPSD contributes to this effort by identifying policy actions and interventions in key sectors of the economy where short-to-medium term reforms could unlock investment and jobs.

English | 146 pages | 2019 IFC

Aug 20, 2018

From the Farm to the Tourist’s Table: A Study of Fresh Produce Demand from Fiji’s Hotels and Resorts

The report sets a baseline, compiles essential information, and supports knowledge sharing and collaboration between entrepreneurs, policymakers, civil society, development agencies, and research institutions in both the sectors. It aims to demonstrate the size of the fresh produce market for Fiji’s hotels and resorts, discuss trends in hotels, and outline recommendations so that the two sectors can work together in the future.

English | 68 pages | 2018 IFC

Apr 17, 2018

Setting a Higher Standard for Sustainability in Pakistan

IFC, US Apparel, and Levi Strauss & Co.: Setting a Higher Standard for Sustainability in Pakistan

Jan 10, 2018

Fact Sheet: Building a Sustainable Textile and Apparel Market in Bangladesh

This fact sheet provides an overview of how IFC's advice and expertise is helping Bangladesh meet the challenges and opportunities facing the textile and apparel industries, which account for 80 percent of the country's export earnings and employ 4.5 million people, mostly women.

Aug 24, 2017

IFC's Engagement in the Apparel and Textile Sectors in Emerging Markets

IFC works with apparel businesses and brands to increase their competitiveness while promoting their performance on sustainability standards. This brochure provides an introduction to IFC's initiatives in the sector, including partnerships, such as the IFC-ILO Better Work partnership; resource efficiency; gender programs; and financial innovations, such as Global Trade Supplier Finance (GTSF).

Aug 1, 2017

Increasing the Use of Alternative Fuels at Cement Plants: International Best Practice

This report, and an accompanying report on thermal and electric energy efficiency, provide a summary of international best practice experience in the cement sector and focus on specific technical measures that could be implemented by cement plants to reduce their operating costs and improve their carbon footprints. The reports provide a plethora of practical information from implemented projects and include detailed technical descriptions, estimates of capital and operating costs, as well as case studies and references from locations where the measures have been implemented. A combination of general and in-depth information will make these reports a helpful read to both management and technical and operating personnel of cement plants as well as to a larger range of stakeholders.

Oct 27, 2016

Unlocking Value: Alternative Fuels For Egypt’s Cement Industry

111| IFC

Jun 30, 2014

Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) Implementation Handbook – TEXTILES & APPAREL

The ESMS Implementation Handbook is for firms who wish to implement a management system in line with the requirements of IFC Performance Standard 1. The Handbook and companion publications – ESMS Toolkit and ESMS Self-Assessment and Improvement Guide – are designed to help companies assess and improve their ESMS.

62 pages | © June 2014 IFC | Complimentary

Apr 9, 2014

Material Efficiency: Keep Track and Stay in the Black

This case study is based on three existing IFC clients: Carnex - a meat processor in Serbia, Sarten - a metal can and packaging producer in Turkey, and Alutech - an aluminum goods producer in Belarus. The four pager focuses on application of Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) using ISO 14051 guide. IFC assessed three factories, IFC clients in Europe and Central Asia, to identify the cost of waste in their operations. IFC discovered that the manufacturers where vastly underestimating their waste costs.

4 pages | © April 2014 IFC | Complimentary

Dec 30, 2013

Cellulose-from-straw production opportunities in Ukraine

This report estimates that only 30 percent of the domestic demand for paper and cardboard is satisfied by production in Ukraine. As a result, Ukraine must import about one million tons of paper (newsprint, offset, and coated). The main barrier to boosting domestic production and expanding the product line is a lack of feed stock available needed for the manufacturing process. Straw, now widely used in paper manufacturing globally, is under used in Ukraine.

18 pages | © December 2013 IFC | Complimentary