Call for Proposals: The Development of a National Textile Life Cycle Inventory (South Africa)

Deadline: 04-Sep-26

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is inviting registered non-profit organizations to support the development of a national textile Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database for South Africa and a feasibility study on extending Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations to the textile sector. Up to USD 120,000 is available for the activity, which must be completed by April 2028. The initiative aims to strengthen textile sustainability, circular economy policymaking, environmental data collection, and evidence-based development of textile EPR systems in South Africa.

About the UNEP Textile Sustainability Call

UNEP is seeking qualified implementing partners to undertake one or both of the following activities: - Develop an open-access national textile Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database for South Africa. - Prepare a White Paper and feasibility study examining the potential extension of South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility regulations to textiles. The initiative is intended to improve the availability of reliable environmental and social data across the textile value chain and support the development of policies that encourage circular production and consumption. The project will focus initially on priority textile materials such as: - Cotton - Polyester - Mohair Additional textile materials may also be incorporated where appropriate. What Is the Textile Life Cycle Inventory Database? A Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database contains data on the resources, materials, energy use, emissions, and other environmental and social inputs associated with products or production processes. The proposed South African textile LCI database is expected to: - Provide open-access textile sustainability data. - Support evidence-based policymaking. - Improve circular product design. - Enable environmental comparisons across the textile value chain. - Incorporate relevant environmental and social indicators. - Support compatibility and interoperability with international LCI databases and systems. - Strengthen data availability for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The database is expected to cover important textile materials and production-related processes relevant to South Africa. What Is the EPR Textile Feasibility Study? The second component focuses on assessing whether and how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations could be expanded to South Africa’s textile sector.

The proposed White Paper will examine:

- Challenges associated with introducing textile EPR. - Opportunities for establishing a textile EPR system. - Lessons from EPR systems in other sectors. - International experiences with textile EPR. - Voluntary textile sustainability initiatives in South Africa. - Relevant provisions and objectives of the dtic Retail-Clothing Textile Footwear Leather Master Plan 2030. - Policy options and recommendations for textile EPR implementation. The study is intended to provide evidence and practical recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders. Funding Available UNEP has allocated a maximum of USD 120,000 for the overall activity. The funding may be divided between one or multiple implementing partners depending on the selected scope of work. An organization may therefore be selected to: - Develop the textile LCI database; - Prepare the EPR feasibility study and White Paper; or - Deliver both components, subject to the final selection and allocation. Applicants must submit a detailed proposed budget as part of their application. The project implementation period must be completed by the end of April 2028. Who Is Eligible? The call is open to qualified registered non-profit organizations and institutions with relevant technical expertise and experience.

Eligible applicant categories include:

- Not-for-profit organizations. - Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). - International non-profit associations. - Government agencies. - Inter-governmental organizations. - Not-for-profit universities. Private enterprises cannot act as the lead implementing organization. The lead organization must provide evidence of its legal registration or legal presence in the relevant country. Organizations based outside South Africa may apply if they can demonstrate: - Relevant experience in South Africa. - Established local networks. - Capacity to work effectively with South African stakeholders. - Appropriate understanding of the country’s textile and policy environment. Key Applicant Requirements Applicants are expected to demonstrate the technical and organizational capacity required to complete the work within the specified timeframe.

Relevant experience may include:

- Textile and manufacturing systems. - Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) datasets. - Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). - Environmental sustainability. - Textile sustainability. - Circular economy. - Eco-innovation. - LCI database development. - Sustainability legislation. - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). - Policy research and recommendations. - Stakeholder engagement. - Industry data collection. - Government and industry capacity building. - EPR scheme development and implementation.

Applicants should also demonstrate:

- Experience delivering projects of a similar scale and nature. - Knowledge of the South African context. - Sufficient local language capabilities. - Strong technical expertise. - Ability to engage industry and government stakeholders. - Capacity to complete the project on schedule. Required Team Expertise The proposed project team should collectively demonstrate expertise in the major areas required for successful delivery.

The team should have knowledge of:

- Circular economy and textile sustainability. - Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Inventory methodologies. - Textile industry engagement. - Data collection and validation. - LCI database development. - Environmental and social sustainability indicators. - Industry and government capacity building. - Policy development. - Extended Producer Re