It may surprise many that local sales of interlining, a piece of fabric used in smartening garments, run into $120 million a year. It means interlining, however small it may be, is important. Globally; China is in a leading position in interlining business. Although the business of interlining in Bangladesh is not new, the volume is not too high as a small number of entrepreneurs invested in this segment.The interlining is a material used as an extra lining between the ordinary lining and the fabric of a garment. In Bangladesh, it is used as an accessory, mainly in the collars of shirts.There are five to six interlining factories across the country at present, said Basher A Khan, executive director of Osman Interlinings Ltd housed at Dhaka Export Processing Zone in Savar in an interview last week.It started its business as the agent of a Chinese company in 1994. Later, the company began its own business in a rented factory at the DEPZ in 2001, and moved into its new factory this year.Speaking at his factory, he described his company’s journey to become a green building in the small interlining business.“We received the LEED certification of green building in gold category from the United States Green Building Council last week. We are the first green building in the interlining business worldwide,” Khan said.Thanks to the eight-storey green building, the company can save 28 percent of energy and 46 percent of water. The factory harvests rainwater to use for production purposes to reduce groundwater consumption.“We have a 42,000-gallon capacity reservoir to harvest rainwater at the factory.”Green buildings have to be constructed following some special measures like leaving adequate space around the structure, reducing ground water consumption, saving energy and workplace safety.The construction of the building began in early 2014 and finished in December last year, Khan said. The factory has 120 workers; the number of workers is small because of the automated manufacturing system, he said.Currently, the company exports interlinings worth more than $1.5 million a month; it plans to expand its business in future.The company is also planning to produce value-added products such as interlinings for shopping bags and shoes.Khan’s company produces 1,000 different kinds of interlinings. Globally, more than 25,000 kinds of interlinings are produced for use in manufacturing apparel items, medical aprons, shoes, shopping bags and travel bags.Almost all the raw materials, like powder and chemicals, are imported mainly from China and Germany. “We have to use special kinds of chemicals, as interlinings are very important and sensitive for the customers,” he said.If any hazardous chemical is used, customers will complain about itching, he added.The company’s major customers include H&M, Aldi, Tema, Charles Vogele and Kappa. It is a concern of Concorde Garments Group headquartered in Dhaka. The group has garment factories in Mirpur and Ashulia in Dhaka.A total of 4,000 workers are employed in the group’s Lily Apparel and Concorde Garments, which mainly produce shirts and ladies’ tops. Concorde started its humble beginning at a rented house in Mirpur in 1981. Currently, the group’s export is more than $91.8 million a year.
