The Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD), a research-based public-private dialogue platform in association with the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) organised the 1st orientation meeting of the Textile Sustainability Platform (TSP) on Tuesday. The meeting discussed strategies for a sustainable Textile sector Co-Chaired by Faruque Hassan, Senior Vice President, BGMEA and Asif Ibrahim, founder Chairman, BUILD.Underlining his involvement with TSP since its inception in 2014 as part of IFC’s PaCT (Partnership for Cleaner Textile) programme, Faruque Hassan said: TSP should be a permanent platform to facilitate dialogue across the public and the private stakeholders to promote resource efficiency and sound environmental management practices to help the sector become competitive. “I thank BUILD for their endeavor to work for the reconstituted TSP”, he observed. “Recommendations backed by evidence-based research will be advocated through BUILD’s Sustainability and Green Growth (SGG) working committee (headed by Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and President, BGMEA) to the Private Sector Development Policy Coordination Committee (PSDPCC) at the Prime Minister’s Office (chaired by the Principal Secretary, PMO), for which BUILD is providing all secretarial services,” said Asif Ibrahim.Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO of BUILD in her presentation discussed the goals and objectives of TSP and potential areas of research topics on utilization of Green Financing and Water Use Rationalization to achieve the eventual goal of $ 50 billion in exports by 2021. Discussants noted it would be important to sensitize the brands, buying houses, and the designers about how certain colors used in production of fashionable clothes use up more water and may involve use of harmful chemicals. Businesses need to strengthen peer learning to ensure dissemination and adoption of best practices. Stronger awareness supported by match-making between technological solution companies and textile sector entrepreneurs on cost-effective technological solutions enabling efficient resource use were highlighted.BGMEA and BUILD, in cooperation with international brands, will organize events and develop platforms to ensure dissemination of knowledge about sustainable solutions, a decision was taken.
