A new project in Cambodia to provide solar solutions to H&M supplier

A new initiative between TotalEnergies and Vanco Industries to install 750kWp of rooftop solar in the Cambodian province of Kandal will assist garment factories like H&M in being climate positive.

Rooftop solar is a critical step toward H&M Group’s promise to cut emissions by 56 percent by 2030 and become climate positive 10 years later, according to Vanco, which is part of the Dakota Group of Companies, which supplies garments to H&M.

Christer Horn Af Aminne, Country Manager Cambodia & Vietnam at H&M Group, said that Dakota’s decision to work with TotalEnergies will have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Cambodia, and signal to others in the garment sector that the time to embrace renewable electricity is now. They strongly encourage our partners and solar enterprises to work together in the future. As more manufacturers in Cambodia commit to using 100 percent renewable energy, the Kingdom’s attractiveness as a sustainable sourcing destination will grow even more.

Vanco Industries, founded in 2006, employs over 4000 garment workers in a 350,000 square foot facility in Kandal province near Phnom Penh.

Jacky Tsang, Director of Dakota Group and Companies said that they feel adopting an initiative to create a fundamental change is a key approach to combat climate change. They regard every step of growth as a better ourselves than yesterday as a manufacturer with a long history in Cambodia.

H&M, a Swedish retailer, gets clothing from roughly 30 manufacturers in and around Phnom Penh, with plans to build its first store in Cambodia in early 2022.