In Mauritius, sustainability is commonplace among manufacturers, both because companies adopt more eco-friendly policies and because resources aren’t easy to come by. Mauritius’ main markets for its textiles and apparel are the US, UK, France and South Africa. Denim is the third major apparel product after T-shirts and shirts. Other products for which the country is known are knitwear, casual shirts, formal wear, swimwear and sweaters.

Mauritius boasts of having one of the best infrastructures in Africa. It has quite a few vertically integrated units. The country is developing the capability and capacity to cater to the needs of global buyers especially US buyers. The tiny isle off the coast of Africa enjoys the benefits of African Growth and Opportunity Act, a trade privilege program that means it can ship products to the US duty free. And Mauritius enjoys a similar perk with Europe.

These trade agreements position Mauritius to serve global brands that can ship to key customers in both regions without tariffs straining margins that are already tight. In terms of communication, credibility in terms of delivery, Mauritius is faster than Asian countries. The country may not yet be making headlines as a supplier of denim, but that’s due to a lack of open-mindedness about new sourcing locales.