The global buyers of the readymade garment (RMG) products also have responsibilities promoting Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) in the RMG sector by paying fair prices, said the manufacturers.
They also said that, along with paying fair prices, the buyers should spread awareness among their consumers to pay ethical prices for green and sustainably produced RMG items.
To raise awareness among the manufacturers on the standards and requirements of the HREDD, the BGMEA and BKMEA launched the Responsible Business Hub (RBH) on Sunday in association with GIZ.
The center will serve as an information center to raise awareness and provide guidance to manufacturing companies about HREDD.
Regarding the RBH, Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) told Dhaka Tribune that this RBH will provide up-to-date knowledge and proper guidance to the factories about human rights and environmental due diligence obligations.
“We cannot work alone on human rights and the environment. Buyers also have responsibilities here. We set up factories at a high cost with a priority on the environment and human rights. If buyers do not pay fair prices now, we cannot survive,” he added.
He also said that BGMEA has adopted the sustainability goal for 2030 and is pursuing innovation, digitization and diversification to make the business economically viable by giving priority to the ESG.
He also said that there are too many laws and regulations being introduced every day about the same issue when they talked about developing due diligence.
“All participants in the global supply chain must embrace a single set of principles-based laws regarding this,” he added, saying that a unified code of conduct is also needed.
“Now, we have to follow the code of conduct of the different buyers, which costs at least $1,000-$2,000 per audit. If a unified code of conduct, at least one for Europe and another for North America, is introduced, it will save time and money,” he added.
On Sunday, BGMEA, BKMEA and GIZ launched the RBH where Reinhard Junker, deputy head of the Division of Sustainable Supply Chains, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), presented the keynote.
In his keynote, he said that the purpose of this law is to establish fair production practices and create a level playing field for producers and suppliers.
Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, vice-president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said that manufacturers hold only 20% of the apparel supply chain and they alone cannot bring positive changes in the sector.
He urged the buyers to pay fair prices and build awareness among consumers.
He also said that the apparel manufacturers of Bangladesh face competition with non-compliant exporters as buyers don’t care about compliance when they source from China.
Although Bangladeshi manufacturers maintain all compliance, they do not get the ethical prices for sustainable products, he added.
Jan Janowski, the deputy head of mission of the German Embassy highlighted that the hub is one of many German supported measures for different stakeholders to help them gain capacities for German and European market access, especially in the context of ongoing discussions on GSP+.
According to the manufacturers, the RBH will support garment factories in strengthening their capacities to adapt and comply with new regulations and reporting requirements with regard to due diligence and sustainability.
It will also assist them in integrating environmental and human rights due diligence in their operations in order to prevent and address the negative impacts of business activities on people and the environment.
