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Mutual cooperation vital for protecting health of garment workers

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The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen stressed the importance of cooperative efforts among diverse organisations to maintain the health and wellbeing of the country’s garment workers.

“Measures taken by various organisations for the welfare of the garment workers should be more democratised and barriers to accessing health services should be reduced,” he said during a roundtable on Wednesday.

The discussion titled “Fostering the health and wellness of our workforce,” was organised by Ayat Education with the support of Integral Global, BGMEA and JCM Foundation at a Gulshan hotel in the capital.

Ayat Education and Integral Global are conducting activities involving 30,000 workers across three textile and six readymade garment factories.

Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley said, “In addition to prioritising the mental and physical health of workers, it is important that the garment sector is brought under digitalisation by creating a comprehensive database.”

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, “The welfare of the workers is of utmost importance to us. In this regard, we have brought about major changes in industrial factories within the readymade garment sector over the past decade.”

Tahsin Aman, vice chairman of Aman group of companies, stressed the importance of regular health check-ups for garment workers and called for a collective effort to ensure their well-being instead of relying solely on external financial support.

Ayat Education is developing a digital toolkit containing information on health, wellness, and protective services for BGMEA and readymade garment employees.

BGMEA urges for duty-free market access to UK beyond 2026

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UK is the third largest apparel export destination for Bangladesh

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have urged for duty-free market access to the United Kingdom (UK) beyond 2026 after Bangladesh’s graduation from the list of least developed countries (LDC).

“I would like to repeat our request to kindly consider an extended transition time up to 2032, as you know that the industry and global fashion industry is severely impacted by the pandemic,” read a letter by BGMEA President Faruque Hassan addressed to the British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Sarah Cooke on 14 September.

Bangladesh became home to the highest number of green garment factories in the world with 183 USGBC LEED-certified factories. Photo: Mumit M

In the letter, he thanked her for organising the dialogue on the UK’s new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) and opportunities for Bangladesh.

“We express our deepest gratitude to the Government of the United Kingdom for introducing such a trade and development friendly tariff scheme which will further contribute to Bangladesh’s industry and economy,” the BGMEA chief added.Apparel exports to EU, UK jump big in FY23

BGMEA said the apparel exporters in Bangladesh are still suffering from post-pandemic turbulences, especially the disruption in buyers sourcing pattern, fuel price hike initially leading to abnormal inflation and now countries are taking measures to curb inflation which is impacting disposable income and consumer spending.

“Furthermore, we need to prepare ourselves with the right investments and readjustment of our facilities” Faruque Hassan wrote in the letter.

UK is the third largest apparel export destination for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh exported $5.02 billion worth of clothing to the UK in the fiscal year 2022-23, which was 11.78% higher than the previous fiscal year.£315m tariff savings for Bangladesh’s exports to UK hinges on rights issues

The BGMEA president in his letter said he believes the DCTS will pave the way for further intensifying the trade relations.

“We wish to stay engaged and updated. Let me also take the opportunity to mention that in the past decade, Bangladesh has made significant strides in ensuring the safety, well-being, and empowerment of workers in the RMG sector,” he wrote.

Bangladesh’s RMG industry is progressively transitioning towards greener and cleaner production methods, with an impressive 202 LEED-certified green factories, of which 73 have achieved the prestigious LEED Platinum certification.

In recent months top officials of several global Brands have visited Bangladesh to see the progress 

Ensuring workers’ welfare essential for sustainable apparel industry: Faruque Hassan

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Ensuring good health and workers welfare is essential for the growth, reputation and long-term sustainability of the apparel industry. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said this in a dialogue titled ‘Fostering the Health and Wellness of our Workforce’ at Hotel Westin in Dhaka on September 20.

Figure: Ayat Education in collaboration with John C. Martin (JCM), in partnership with Integral Global Health and BGMEA organized a dialogue titled ‘Fostering the Health and Wellness of our Workforce’.

Ayat Education in collaboration with John C. Martin (JCM), in partnership with Integral Global Health and BGMEA, organized this dialogue.

Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh; Tuomo Poutiainen, ILO Bangladesh Country Director; Sadhana Bhagwat, WHO Bangladesh medical officer; Ziaur Rahman, H&M Group Country Manager for Bangladesh, Nilanjana Khan, Primark Country Project Manager, Misha Mahzabeen, VisionSpring Country Director were present among distinguished guests.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan in his speech highlighted the industry’s commitment to ensure the safety, health, nutrition and welfare of the country’s workforce.

He elaborated on the industry’s commitment to the welfare of workers by mentioning the various benefits provided to workers in factories apart from wages.

Faruque Hassan mentioned various initiatives taken by BGMEA for the health and welfare of garment workers. Initiatives range from healthcare centers and maternity rights programs to eye health services and mental health awareness programs.

He further said that in achieving the strategic target of reaching $100 billion in apparel exports by 2030, BGMEA emphasizes the welfare of workers and sincerely seeks the cooperation of all stakeholders in this journey.

Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Bangladesh, said establishing day-care centers is important and has been proven to increase productivity in Europe.

ECOBAMBOO advocating sustainable lifestyle – creating better earth ecology

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Bamboo has been rooted in human progression history – across continents. Especially in China, bamboo is inseparable from its culture. The country has the most abundant bamboo resources, with a bamboo forest area of more than 7 million hectares.

Figure 1: ECOBAMBOOTM team at the 22nd Textech Bangladesh 2023 International Expo.

The use of bamboo is endless, from food delicacies, to furnishing, to construction material, to daily essentials, to transport. Now bamboo is also a fashion too. World’s renowned Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. is a leader in providing sustainable fashion from bamboo – ECOBAMBOOTM.

The advantages of bamboo for use in textile fibers are its breathability, ease of processing them into fabric, high functionality, and comfort. The fashion world’s appeal with all things and bamboo is enticing the interest of a number of brands. More and more of this bamboo-made fashion is expected to find its way onto store shelves as time goes by.

ECOBAMBOOTM made fashion is made from pure bamboo fiber yarns, which have exceptional Wet Permeability, moisture vapor transmission properties, soft hand, breathability, better drapery, easy dying, splendid colors, natural bacteriosis, ultraviolet-proof and rapid degradation. Making it a great prospective green fabric. It is widely used in casual, underwear, business wear, kids wear, home wear, home textiles, non-woven sanitation, etc.

Due to its anti-bacterial properties, bamboo fiber makes intimate apparel function as anti-bacterial. Also, its anti-ultraviolet nature is suitable for making summer clothing, especially for the protection of pregnant ladies and children from the hurt of ultraviolet radiation.

Most importantly, Jilin Chemical Fiber Group’s ECOBAMBOOTM is produced with high-quality bamboo as raw material.

Jilin is the largest producer of bamboo fiber – with an annual capacity of 150,000 tons – accounting for 90% of the world.

Figure 2: Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. is a leader in providing sustainable fashion from bamboo – ECOBAMBOOTM.

Sustainability

In terms of sustainability, ECOBAMBOOTM fiber is leading the way to the sustainable development of textile industry. As fiber made from ECOBAMBOOTM has:

  • Sustainable raw materials
  • Achievable technology
  • Degradable products
  • Traceable industrial chain

In terms of afterlife degradation, ECOBAMBOOTM made textile is environment-friendly textiles are harmless to the environment through treatment methods of recycling, degradation, power generation, etc.

Besides, bamboo fiber is a biodegradable textile material. As a natural cellulose fiber, it can be 100% biodegraded in soil by microorganisms and sunlight. The decomposition process does not cause any environmental pollution. ECOBAMBOOTM fiber comes from nature, and fully returns to nature in the end.

Traceability

ECOBAMBOOTM establishes a traceable supply chain from the raw material side, and the selected bamboo materials are recognized by FSC and ORGAN IC certification. The manufacturer has obtained Canopy green shirts, which meets the ‘Bamboo Forest Management’ Standard of Bamboo Union.

ECOBAMBOOTM now in Bangladesh

For the Bangladesh market, Speeko International Limited has been supplying the sustainable bamboo fiber ECOBAMBOOTM since 2022 to promote sustainability.  

Speeko is the exclusive sales agent of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd. – offering a better environment fiber for the market – as the Bangladesh textile industry is focusing more and more on sustainability. This groundbreaking sustainable new fiber will certainly provide the edge the market is looking for.

Seminar on ‘smart Bangladesh by enhancing quality teaching and research collaboration’ held at TECN

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RMG Bangladesh
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Textile Engineering College, Noakhali (TECN) organized a conference to contribute to the textile innovation and development of a smart Bangladesh. The seminar, held under the topic ‘Smart Bangladesh by Enhancing Quality Teaching and Research Collaboration’ aimed to provide valuable information and insights.

The occasion showcased Tareq Amin, a distinguished figure in the industry and the Founder and CEO of Textile Today, who delivered the keynote address. Engr. Md. Saifur Rahman, the Principal of TECN, presided over the event.

Figure 1: Engr. Md. Saifur Rahman, the Principal of TECN giving the crest to Tareq Amin, Founder and CEO of Textile Today. 

The TECN Science & Innovation Club organized the seminar in an effort to foster a collaborative environment where students, teachers, and business professionals could engage in discussions about the critical importance of effective pedagogy and research collaboration in achieving a more intelligent Bangladesh.

During the event, Tareq Amin delivered a captivating keynote speech that explored various significant facets. These included an examination of the factors that necessitate intelligence, an exploration of the cognitive processes that contribute to intelligence, and the proposition that innovativeness has become the primary driver of competitiveness, among other topics.

Figure 2: Tareq Amin delivered a captivating keynote speech that explored various significant facets.

Tareq Amin additionally examined the notion of innovation, emphasizing the imperative of efficiently harnessing creativity to cultivate innovation inside the nation. The speech elicited a high level of engagement and participatory discourse among the attendees, encompassing both students and academic members.

In addition to the keynote talk, Engr. Md. Saifur Rahman, Principal of TECN, presented interesting thoughts on integrating innovation with the textile production process. He explained how the textile industry, which is a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s economy, might greatly benefit from the infusion of modern ideas.

The second half of the program was led by Rahbar Hossain, who spearheaded the Textile Talent Hunt 8.0 Campus Drive. Rahbar presented insights on the program’s aims and detailed the path for students to become “Innovation Masterminds (IMs).”

The individual indicated that “TTH 8.0” is actively seeking students who possess enthusiasm and a penchant for embracing challenges. The program aims to cultivate these students into individuals with exceptional innovative abilities through a comprehensive process that includes training, grooming, concept auditions, aptitude testing, and supervised research or innovation project implementation.

Figure 3: Audiences of the event.

The ceremony was brought to a close with a concluding statement given by Engr. Md. Saifur Rahman, the Principal of TECN. In his address, he expressed his appreciation to all the participants and emphasized the significance of high-quality education and research collaboration in achieving the goal of a more intelligent Bangladesh.

Engr. Md. Saifur Rahman emphasized the significance of using state-of-the-art textile technologies and environmental practices. This inquiry pertains to the potential impact of implementing certain measures on the efficiency and competitiveness of the textile manufacturing sector.

The speaker emphasized the notion that advancements in textile manufacturing not only enhance the caliber of products but also serve as a crucial factor in mitigating environmental consequences.

Engr. Md. Saifur Rahman urged students and faculty members to actively participate in research and development initiatives that seek to revolutionize textile production techniques. He emphasized that collaboration between educational institutions such as TECN and textile industry stakeholders could result in revolutionary innovations such as eco-friendly dyeing processes and sustainable textile materials.

The seminar offered significant insights into the significance of creativity and collaboration while also serving as an inspiring platform for students to imagine their possible contributions towards the development of a more intelligent and wealthier Bangladesh. Textile engineering institutions such as TECN continue to play a crucial role in cultivating the intellectual resources of the nation and promoting innovation that will propel Bangladesh towards a more promising future.

BGMEA keen to increase RMG exports to Nepal

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Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) wants to increase export of garment products in neighboring country Nepal. On September 20, a delegation from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply of Nepal met BGMEA president Faruque Hassan at the office of BGMEA. In the meeting, BGMEA president asked the delegation to increase exports.

Figure: A delegation from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply of Nepal met BGMEA President on September 20.

Both sides discussed mutual interests, potential areas of cooperation and trade and investment opportunities between the two countries in the meeting held at the BGMEA complex in Uttara, capital.

Apart from clothing, the Nepali delegation led by Baburam Gautam, Director General of Industries Department, Government of Nepal, exchanged ideas and information on industrial and commercial issues with BGMEA President Faruque Hassan.

The discussion brought up various issues relevant to Bangladesh’s thriving garment industry, future prospects of the industry and strategic vision of the industry to achieve continued growth.

BGMEA President highlighted the ongoing efforts of Bangladesh garment industry to diversify export markets and explore new export destinations in the meeting.

He expressed keen interest in garment exports from Bangladesh to Nepal and emphasized on cooperation between the two countries to seize opportunities for mutual benefit.

The Nepalese delegation highlighted the potential of investment in Nepal and the facilities available in Nepal for investors. During the meeting, both sides expressed their willingness to work together to seize mutual benefits.

Greener RMG industry

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RMG Bangladesh
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Ever since the start of monitoring the extent of greening compliance by garment manufacturers and exporters in developing countries, the prerequisite has been a subject of unease. The monitors belong to the club of global bigwigs in the clothing and fashion industry. The countries under watch include Bangladesh. One of the largest manufacturers and exporters in the world, the country is now in a transition phase of emerging green. As the requirement is tied to the readymade garments (RMG) factories’ manufacture of the clothing products and their export, the country attaches great importance to the issue. Trade experts, however, underscore the imperative of some harmonisation standards regarding the green RMG factories. 

Many of them have been able to gain preliminary access to industrialisation by utilising the sector. The observations were made by panelists at a working session of the WTO (World Trade Organisation) Public Forum 2023 in Geneva on September 14. It was titled ‘Green trade measures and their development implications: a focus on the textiles and clothing global value chain’. Obviously, the focus of the session was on the urgent need for addressing the emerging global climate emergency — achieving net-zero point on carbon emissions in the RMG sector.  Taking part in the session as a panelist, Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), observed that the export-oriented textiles and readymade garment sector was an important driving force for Bangladesh economy as “it is a source of employment generation and foreign exchange earning”. Bangladesh has already taken different types of steps for greening the textiles and clothing industry, she told the session about the transition. There are, however, drawbacks which impede the setting up of green factories, including disparate standards set by global brands that do the marketing. In course of her deliberations, Dr Fahmida goes to the roots of a feeling of ‘discouragement’ caused by the leading global brands’ adoption of different standards for similar kinds of clothing items. 

That the confusing situation prevailing among the cynical quarters in the textiles and clothing item exporting countries will lead to a series of disillusionments is implied. Many even might call the lopsided definition of greening and environment-friendliness an instance of double standard. It doesn’t bode well. It might dampen the drive for export of many fast developing RMG manufacturing countries. Bangladesh’s share in the global clothing export market stood at 7.90 per cent in the last year compared to 6.40 per cent in 2021, statistics available with the WTO show. Bangladesh retained the second position in the clothing export, preceded by China and followed by Vietnam on the global market in 2022.

A Senior Research Fellow with ODI (Overseas Development Institute) in her presentation at the WTO session touched upon the policies and measures taken by three countries — Bangladesh, Kenya and Vietnam – to make the textile and clothing industries greener. According to her, as there is no market-led path to environmental and social upgrading, public policy frameworks are the key. The new green trade initiative is an opportunity to get upgraded environmentally; Bangladesh and Vietnam have already shown some primary advancement in this regard. Textile waste lately emerged as a problem. As an expert in trade strategy has observed, in the name of second-hand market of clothing, there is a trend of dumping textile and clothing waste mostly from developed countries into the developing ones. A green-compliant one, Bangladesh has reasons to feel discriminated against notwithstanding the fact that it boasts the best and highest number of green RMG factories.

A breakthrough in MMF raw material production: 50% production potential locally

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Currently, manmade fibers (MMF) account for over 70 percent of the global apparel market. However, 25% of Bangladesh’s exported garments are manmade fiber based and the remaining 75% are cotton based. Till now 90% raw material of this 25% manmade fiber had to be imported mainly from China, Indonesia and India. Now, Chittagong-based Modern Syntex Limited, a subsidiary of TK Group, is going to produce two major raw materials for the first time.

As the investors come forward to produce the main raw material of some products including manmade fiber clothes, shoes and other products in the country, it will be possible to reduce the import dependency by 50 percent by next January, the sector concerned believe.

According to a recent study by Grandview Research, a research firm based in the US and India, synthetic fibers are gradually taking over the international market for ready-made garments, which is estimated to be around $200 billion in 2019. And by 2025, the market for such clothing can increase to $400 billion.

Local sourcing of MMF raw materials will further boost our industry and increase the confidence of the buyers which will lead to more orders for Bangladesh in the future.

The two main raw materials that Modern Syntex Limited is going to manufacture are – Polyester Staple Fiber (PSF) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Chips. Apart from this, it will produce Drawn Textured Yarn (DTY) and Polyester Fully Drawn Yarn (FDY) from its own pet chips. They will start production on a small scale from next November and full-scale from January.

“This will save Bangladesh about $65 million foreign exchange per year and improve lead times, which will help Bangladesh to be competitive,” said Modern Syntex’s General Manager Shafal Barua.

The other two companies of the TK Group, Modern Poly Industries Ltd. and Super Synthetic, also produce two of the four main raw materials of manmade fiber, which are now market leaders in supplying those two raw materials. Apart from this, Bengal Synthetic and a company of Noman group produce small amounts of DTY and FDY.

Once MMF fabric was completely imported as the raw material of Bangladesh’s man-made apparel. At present, about 50 textile companies in the country have been able to import PSF, FDY and DTY and manufacture yarn from here to supply local fabric manufacturers.

The daily demand of PSF and pet chips in the country is approximately 350 tons. So far, DTY and FDY were produced from imported pet chips, but due to huge investment, no one went to produce PSF and pet chips. Modern Syntex Limited will be able to supply 60% of the demand for PSF and 30% of the demand for pet chips, said top officials of the company.

For this, Modern Syntex Limited has invested $141 million. Currently they have started some experimental production works. But the top officials of the company said that there are several challenges of investment in this sector.

First of all, it needs huge investment. Secondly, the main raw materials for making PSF and pet chips, refined terephthalic acid (PTA) and mono ethylene glycol (MEG), have to be imported and there is a 5% value added tax on the import of raw materials, which they feel is a hindrance in moving ahead in competition.

Thirdly, uninterrupted gas and water supplies are must, but there is challenge to get continuous gas and water supplies. And fourthly, there are lack of skilled manpower as this is the first such manufacturing in Bangladesh.

Most RMG factories ensuring good social, environmental practices: Survey

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An ongoing Brac University survey has found that most of the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) factories are ensuring good social practices such as healthcare services, daycare centres, insurance, fair price shops and menstrual hygiene products for workers. 

Mapped in Bangladesh (MiB) – a project of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) of Brac University – is conducting the survey, which is now in its second phase, to identify environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices among the export-oriented apparel industries, according to its officials.

The survey also found that some factories are also ensuring good environmental practices by installing solar energy and using energy-efficient LED lights.

However, factories are not willing to share information about governance issues, which may require more awareness, said MiB officials at a discussion with journalists at a city hotel on Tuesday.

Afsana Choudhury, joint director of the CED, said the second phase of a physical survey also has the aim to gather information about new factories, especially those that came into operation after 2020.

In this regard, the CED signed separate memorandums of understanding with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

Through these MoUs, both associations became “strategic partners” of the project and provided tremendous support for the collection of factory data from their member factories all over Bangladesh.

In the second phase, MiB already conducted a survey across the country except for Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram districts. Data will be collected from these districts and updated to the MiB database by June 2024, said Afsana Choudhury.

She also mentioned that this mapping process requires timely updates as data on workers and brands are frequently changing, and in most cases, factory management is not willing to share data with us.

The MiB has already launched a Bangla edition of this map for workers and rights groups and a cloud-based application is also ready for formal launching, said Afsana Choudhury.

“The application will be more user-friendly, allowing the factory management and workers to update relevant factory data in an easier way,” she added.

“Earlier this map was mainly web-based. But considering that most users are using this map from mobile phones, we developed the app,” said Jabeer Sherazy, senior system development coordinator at BRAC University.

The second phase of the project, to be implemented by 2025, is funded by the Laudes Foundation and GIZ and supported by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The project has built a digital map www.mappedinbangladesh.org for export-oriented RMG entrepreneurs to showcase their products and skills to a global audience.

With the help of this digital technology, MiB will help bridge the Bangladeshi RMG sector and international markets. MiB is also promoting transparency and traceability by digitising the supply chain of the apparel industry and visualising it to the world.

MiB has been guided by a multi-stakeholder Project Advisory Committee (PAC), including representatives of workers, NGOs, donors, researchers, buyers and industry associations, among others.

With the support of all industry stakeholders, MiB expects to create a digital ecosystem that connects fashion designers, manufacturers, suppliers, brands, and consumers in Bangladesh and all over the world.

BGMEA wants easy customs rules

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The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) today emphasised the need for simplifying customs-related procedures and removing all obstacles to facilitate faster and smoother services for the RMG sector.

In a highly competitive global market, Bangladesh must reduce lead times, which is a critical factor for maintaining competitiveness within the fashion industry, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said.

He also highlighted the challenges the RMG industry is currently facing like a slowdown in orders because of the Russia-Ukraine war.

He highlighted the industry’s need for government support and cooperation to navigate these challenging times and ensure its sustainable growth.

They urged the customs authorities to take prompt action in addressing these issues and streamlining services for the RMG industry.

In response, the customs commissioner acknowledged the significant contribution of the RMG industry to the socioeconomic development of Bangladesh, the BGMEA said in a statement.

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