The Responsible Business Hub has started its journey with an aim to strengthen human rights and environmental due diligence in the readymade garments industry of Bangladesh.
The hub, set up by BGMEA and BKMEA with the support of the German development agency GIZ, will serve as an information centre, raising awareness and providing guidance to manufacturers on the standards and requirements of human rights and environmental due diligence.
At the launching event on Sunday, apparel manufacturers and labour leaders urged buyers to practise ethical buying practices in their supply chain.
They said responsible business is not possible only by manufacturers, it also requires a change of mindset of buyers and consumers.
Manufacturers alone can not bring positive changes in the sector as they hold only 20% of the apparel supply chain, said Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, vice president Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
He said that buyers should pay adequate prices, and should bring awareness among the consumer to pay ethical prices for green and sustainable products.
Bangladeshi apparel manufacturers face uneven competition with non-compliant exporters, he mentioned.
“When buyers source from China they don’t care about compliance but despite maintaining all compliance Bangladeshi exporters do not get the ethical prices for sustainable products,” he added.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Vice President Shahidullah Azim said “When we talked about the emerging due diligence, there are too many laws and regulations getting passed every day regarding the same issue. We need a unified principle-based legislation which is accepted by all the players in the global supply chain.”
The Responsible Business Hub 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 assist the companies 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.
The Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy Jan Janowski, welcomed the participants and highlighted that the hub is one of many German support measures for different stakeholders to help them gain capacities for German and European market access, especially in the context of ongoing discussions on GSP+.
In his keynote, Reinhard Junker, deputy head of the Division Sustainable Supply Chains, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), said the purpose of this law is to establish fair production practices, thereby creating a level playing field for producers and suppliers.
“We anticipate that this legislation will provide a competitive advantage for producers in Bangladesh,” he added.
Sheikh HM Mustafiz, chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on sustainability, the hub will help to train manufacturers to maintain compliance and maintain human rights.
