| Abstract [eng] |
With intensifying competition and accelerating globalization, the ongoing restructuring of companies in the Lithuanian textile and clothing sector and the search for new markets are forcing to look for new ways and means of competition. In addition, intensive consumption and growing production volumes are causing many problems on a global scale, such as increasing environmental pollution, global warming, waste recycling, climate change, scarcity of resources, etc. The textile and clothing industry is recognized as one of the most polluting and resource-depleting industries in the world after the oil sector. The incineration of textile waste or clothing releases thousands of tonnes of CO2 each year, which contributes to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. Therefore, it is very important to analyse the competitive situation in Lithuanian textile and clothing companies and the prospects for its development in line with the European Green Deal. The aim of the research is to investigate and evaluate the impact of the requirements of the Green Deal on the competitiveness of the Lithuanian textile and clothing sector. In the first part of the master's thesis, the analysis of the EU and Lithuanian textile and clothing industry is conducted and the main problems related exclusively to this sector are identified. The second part examines scientific sources that analyse competition assessment models in the context of sustainability and the Green Deal. Competitive factors specific to the textile and clothing industry are also analysed, and their differences from other industries are identified. The third part describes the methodology of the research, according to which in the fourth part of the thesis the empirical research of the Lithuanian textile and clothing sector is performed. It consists of econometric modelling of quantitative data and qualitative evaluation of the expert survey. The results of the econometric study confirm the claim made by some researchers that there is a link between GDP and economic growth that can be reconciled with 'green growth'. In both the long and short term, GDP has a significant impact on the dependent variable industrial output studied. The second indicator that stands out in terms of the strength of causal relationships in this study is labour productivity, which affects a dependent variable in both the long and short term. The results of the expert survey conducted in the second part of the empirical study show that some of the factors of sustainable production are already applied and used in Lithuanian textile and clothing companies. Factors that contribute to the reduction of operating costs and do not require large investments are implemented more quickly in companies, because they themselves see the advantage. For example, saving electricity and water, applying water collection and reuse, using recuperators and renewable energy facilities, and caring for the safety and motivation of workers bring direct benefits to companies, reduce costs and increase productivity. In addition, companies invest in upgrading facilities and digitizing certain processes and equipment, thus increasing productivity and competitiveness in the market, while also approaching the requirements of the Green Deal. The study shows that businesses are willing to make trade-offs to reconcile the synergy between growth and environmental protection. |
