Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has sought the government’s support to help survive the country’s small and medium garment factories that are facing gradual closure for various reasons. It also called upon the US green certificate provider to set criteria to onboard the small and medium garment units in the environment-friendly process. “Big factories are going greener and increasing their space and capacity. On the other hand, small and medium factories are being closed one after another,” BGMEA President Dr Rubana Huq said on Sunday. She raised question whether such a scenario is right for a sustainable industry. She was speaking at a certificate awarding ceremony organised jointly by United States Green Building Certification (USGBC) and Green Building Certification Inc (GBCI) at a city hotel. The government should provide fund to upgrade technology of those units as green is the technology, Ms Huq said. “The consumer pattern is changing and we need to help survive the small ones for ourselves as the business pattern is changing with the changing trend of customers’ buying pattern,” she noted. During last one year, a total of 13 garment factories and buildings have achieved (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificate and those are platinum ranked. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the US Green Building Council (USBC) is a point-based system, where a rating level is achieved once a project meets all the prerequisites and earns minimum points. Depending on the number of points earned, a project may be labeled as LEED-certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold or LEED Platinum. These are UHM Limited, Saiham Tower, Designer Fashion Ltd, Mithela Textile Industries Ltd, Tosrifa Industries Ltd- Fabric Division, Genesis Washing Ltd, AR Jeans Producers Ltd, BIFFL Corporate Office, SSG Fan Factory, Green Textile Ltd-Unit 3, Pioneer Denim Ltd, Kenpark 2 and The Civil Engineers Ltd. A total of 85 garment factories have so far achieved USGBC LEED certificate and 23 are platinum, 53 are gold, seven are silver and rest two are green certified. Bangladesh has taken the leading position in setting up green garment factories in the sub-continental regions, said P Gopalakrishnan, Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Middle East Markets, of GBCI. Around 120 Bangladeshi projects have been certified where majority of them are garment factories, he said, adding that demands for green facility is increasing as other sectors like footwear, commercial buildings are also being certified and registered for the system. USGBC developed LEED to recognise best practices in design, construction and operations of buildings and communities that protect the environment, human health and the bottom line.
