They made the call at an inaugural ceremony of the two-day Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh Expo held in the capital yesterday. The show ends today. The sixth edition of Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh show began at Radisson Blu with the aim of sharing information about the latest fashion trends in denim products and bridging a relation between buyers and manufacturers. The exhibition provides a platform for the global denim manufacturers, buyers and retailers to assemble with the objective to share, interact and establish business ties with the suppliers of Bangladesh. “In the country, there is a good number of green and global standard RMG factories complied with safety issues. If the present export growth continues, Bangladesh will be able to fetch $50 billion exporting apparel products by 2021,” said Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) vice-president Fazlul Haque. He suggested that the government resolve gas and electricity crisis and ensure that gas prices do not increase. If these issues are addressed properly in line with political stability, Bangladesh will make tremendous progress, added the BTMA leader. “Bangladesh has made a lot of progress in denim products and manufacturing quality products,” Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh, Devrim Öztürk, said while addressing the programme as the chief guest. “There are some good factories in the country and I hope the export of denim products from Bangladesh would see a big jump in the next few years.” In the expo, Bangladeshi participants have shown strength of denim industry, which is growing very fast with innovation and quality products and also with on-time delivery. The booming denim industry has great potential, the market of which is expected to reach $64.1 billion by 2021. 70% of the amount could come from Asia. The country has become the key manufacturing and sourcing hub among Asian countries. Nurturing this hope, the show has come into being and it would help bring global denim buyers land here. Some 28 companies from across the world participated in the expo with their latest trendy denim fashion products.

A two-day denim show began Wednesday in the city aiming to provide a platform, where the global denim community came together for sharing, interacting and establishing future transactions with Bangladeshi suppliers. A total of 28 manufacturers from different countries, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy, Spain, and China are taking part in the sixth edition of the Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh show, organised by the Denimsandjeans.com in a city hotel with the theme of ‘VINTAGE RECALL’. Turkish Ambassador in Dhaka Devrim Öztürk inaugurated the show as the chief guest. Vice President of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) Fazlul Haque, Vice President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Atique-E- Rabbani, and founder of Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh Sandeep Agarwal was present at the inaugural programme. Speaking on the occasion, Turkish ambassador said Bangladesh has strengthened its position among the world’s leading exporting countries as a denim exporter. He also said the denim products show will help create linkage between local and foreign companies that would strengthen Bangladesh’s denim sector. In his speech, Mr Haque said Bangladesh has significant potential in textiles and now the country has become the largest supplier of denim garment to Europe, even surpassing China. In 2015, Bangladesh exported 184 million pcs of jeans to the European Union market, much higher than China, he said, adding the government and garment exporters set a target of exporting US$50 billion worth of garment items by 2021 and the growing denim industry will contribute much to achieve the goal.

The project will be carried out by IFC’s Bangladesh Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) programme, said IFC in a press release. VF Corporation joins 12 other brands in the PaCT family bringing the total partner brands to 13. The programme has contributed to water and energy savings of 14.4 billion liters and 1.23 million MWh per year, respectively, reduced GHG emission by 188,000 tonnes carbon-di-oxide equivalent per year and resource saving worth US$10 million annually in 162 partner factories. In addition to the PaCT project, VF Corporation is also partnering with IFC in the Vietnam Improvement Project (VIP). “Resource efficiency is a core facet of VF’s Responsible Sourcing programme. Through investments and continuous support from VF, we aim to assist our strategic suppliers in reducing their water, energy, waste, and chemical use, while simultaneously reducing the cost of production,” said Brad van Voorhees, senior manager of Environmental Practices and Sustainable Operations at VF. IFC Program Manager for PaCT Mohan Seneviratne said, “Water is a key input in the textile sector and large quantities are consumed in the direct operations and supply chain. Current groundwater abstraction rates in Bangladesh are close to their limit and growth projection of $50 billion by 2021 can only be achieved with the development of sustainable water supplies, effluent treatment facilities and resource efficient practices. We welcome VF Corporation joining PaCT to partner with us in this mission” In Bangladesh, IFC is providing both investment and advisory support and working along with other stakeholders, to help the garments sector become globally competitive and safe for its employees. As part of this move, PaCT will engage with VF Corporation’s supplier factories in three ways- awareness building, basic cleaner production (CP) assessment and in-depth CP assessment. Major activities will include factory-level advice on basic CP measures, technical assessment of resource efficient textile processing, facilitating implementation through user groups, strengthening corporate water and energy management systems, and investment facilitation in technologies with significant water sustainability benefits. IFC promotes sustainable growth and private sector development in Bangladesh by investing in critical infrastructure; boosting financial inclusion; enhancing textiles competitiveness and supporting reforms to make doing business easier for private sector. IFC committed $635m in Bangladesh, in own and mobilised funds across 13 projects, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016.  IFC’s committed portfolio in Bangladesh as of that date was about $1 billion in 47 projects.

The developed countries witnessed the consumption fall in the wake of gloomy economic situation. According to World Trade Organisation (WTO) data, global consumption of RMG products came down to $445 billion, which was $483.28 billion in previous year. After the economic recession in 2008, the global consumption of clothing products witnessed a decline by 13.23% to $315.51 billion in 2009, which was $363.62 billion a year ago. The slower consumption of apparel products comes as a challenge to leading RMG exporting countries as they have already seen negative growth except Bangladesh. China, the number one exporter accounting for 39.26% global market share, has seen a 6.37% decline in its exports to world market in 2015 followed by Turkey and Indonesia. According to the World Trade Statistical Review 2016 released in August by WTO, Bangladesh global market share in clothing products rose to 5.9% to $26.15 billion in 2015, which was 5.1% in the previous year. However, Bangladesh apparel export in the last fiscal year was $28 billion. “Economic ups and downs in the developed countries has cast shadow on employment. As a result, consumption of clothing products has declined,” Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), told the Dhaka Tribune. Appreciated dollar exchange rate in supplier countries may be another reason behind the downswing of global consumption, added Moazzem. China’s export is falling because of order shifting by the buyers while China itself is turning to quality and higher labour cost that is also pushing the production cost up, said Moazzem. The negative growth of the second biggest economy of the world is a boon for Bangladesh as the largest manufacturer is shifting its business to high end and technology. This shifting can be landing in Bangladesh. China shifting is a big opportunity for Bangladesh and to cash in on the situation, the government and the manufacturer platform has to identify those relocating their business and build network with them, said Moazzem. He observed that Bangladesh will a see a great rise in RMG sourcing if it completes the whole inspection process. “Bangladesh is safe. This is because of combined efforts of owners and workers as well as the government policy support for exploring new markets. Improvement of workers safety has acted as catalyst for having more orders with boosted confidence,” Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) senior vice-president Faruq Hassan told the Dhaka Tribune. Talking on the China shifting, Faruq said Bangladeshi manufacturers are ready to receive buyers, who are relocating business. “We have 35 years of experience, strong foothold in backward linkage industry and capacity to carry out a large volume of orders with plenty of skilled workers.” He suggested that the government has to come up with policy support in ensuring uninterrupted gas and electricity supply to facilitate timely shipment to buyers.

World leaders gathered at the 71st UN General Assembly in New York recently to review the first year’s progress in implementing the sustainable development goals. Described as nothing less than a ‘universal push to transform the world’, the goals are the world’s plan to eradicate poverty and save the planet by 2030. As policymakers seek the smartest ways to progress, one strategy is clear to all. Almost every country on earth, especially the poorest, has a desperate need for more jobs. The World Bank 2013 World Development Report on Jobs estimates that over the next 15 years, an additional 600 million new jobs will be needed to absorb burgeoning working-age population, mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. These are the jobs that transform lives because they offer an escape from poverty and fuel economic growth, and jobs that promote respect for the fundamental freedoms that underpin the development of inclusive societies. These also ensure freedom from slavery, from child labour and discrimination and freedom to form organisations such as trade unions that advance and protect the rights of the poor. Most urgent are jobs for those who do not have access to work, including the youth, women and migrants. So where are we going to find them?One answer is the global garment industry. It provides formal employment to tens of millions of workers in less developed and emerging economies. For instance, in Bangladesh, garment and textile accounts for 91 percent of export earnings. A global garment industry that uniformly offered decent jobs could lift millions of people out of poverty and help create sustainable development. But is this possible in a world where our craving for cheap clothing and fast fashion can create enormous downward pressure on working conditions? Yes it is, according to new research out recently, which strongly challenges any view that there is a trade-off between treating workers well and a profitable garment industry. A five-year independent study commissioned by Better Work—a joint programme of the International Labour Organisation and the International Finance Corporation—shows that a smart mix of business incentives, training, monitoring of working conditions and engagement by all actors in the global supply chains can significantly improve working conditions. And the good news is that it does not come at the expense of businesses’ bottom line. On the contrary, researchers conclude that improving working conditions can actually contribute to increased profitability and productivity. For example, the study shows that in Vietnam, the garment factories where workers report better working conditions are more productive and more profitable. For instance, workers with better working conditions reached daily production targets nearly 40 minutes faster than workers in factories with worse conditions. In an industry characterised by intense price competition, evidence that improving working conditions is not a cost but a critical component of business success is ground breaking. Significantly, women are often the major drivers and beneficiaries of this success. For example, investing in training for female supervisors was shown to improve working conditions and increase factory productivity by up to 22 percent, in large part by reducing tensions and improving workplace communication. Researchers also credit Better Work for significantly closing the gender pay gap in garment factories that it has advised in Haiti, Nicaragua and Vietnam. This is all highly relevant in the global garment industry where more than three quarters of the total workforce are female. Research also points to the impacts of good working conditions on workers’ families and communities. As take-home pay rises and working hours fall, workers’ children have significant better health and their access to education also rises.Globalisation is here to stay. The key question as the world faces up to the responsibilities of implementing the 2030 agenda is how to ensure global trade delivers on the promise of inclusive growth and shared prosperity. These results point to the importance of improving job quality and tackling inequality as a key to economic growth that is more just and inclusive. Where does this path lead us next?Fundamentally, this is a question of governance. We all want improvements in working conditions on the factory floor, but experience shows this must be supported by good law that is effectively implemented, with the strong participation of employers’ and workers’ organisations. This demands more political will and greater resources so that national institutions can play effective roles.The UN guiding principles on business and human rights also recognise the key role of the private sector. Industry leaders play a critical role in improving working conditions and this is part of the Better Work story. The research also shows that the demand for short delivery deadlines and last minute changes to production schedules can negatively impact working hours, safety and health. This calls for innovation to ensure that the practical realities of providing decent work on the factory floor are integrated into the management of sourcing practices. Creating jobs and improving working conditions in the global garment industry is everyone’s business. We must build collaboration and accountability between public, private and civil institutions to make it a reality. Deborah Greenfield is deputy director-general for policy at ILO, and Mary Porter Peschka is director of advisory solutions at IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.

Garment entrepreneurs, trade unionists, government officials and development partners are all in favour of a permanent tripartite consultative committee to sort out disputes confronting the country’s apparel sector. “We need a permanent tripartite consultative mechanism for the garment sector to build sound relations between employers and employees,” said Roy Ramesh Chandra, an advisory council member of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS). “The consultative council will be an authority and its recommendations have to be accepted by the policymakers and other stakeholders. Otherwise, it will be a paper-based committee,” he said at a roundtable at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka yesterday. BILS, in association with non-profit German Foundation FES, has commissioned a study on formulation of a tripartite consultative council for the garments sector. The study report was shared at the roundtable. The report, presented at the programme by Jakir Hossain, a professor of Rajshahi University, said there are nine tripartite forums working in the apparel sector. But no tripartite forum or institution formed particularly for the garment sector has strong legal foundation, as most of them are ad hoc and were formed mainly during a disaster or crisis, he said. The new tripartite body should be a central authority and other committees will work under its supervision, he said. Chandra said there should be a line ministry for the sector to take it forward. Mohammad Hatem, a former vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said: “We will be happy to see the formation of the committee.”Amirul Haque Amin, president of IndustriALL Bangladesh, said the consultative committee should be made functional so it does not fail. Srinivas Reddy, country director of International Labour Organisation, termed the concept a great initiative. He said the tripartite mechanism is one of the core values of society and the ILO as well. He said regular dialogue is important, instead of sitting for a dialogue when a crisis arrives. Mikail Shipar, labour secretary, said disputes cannot be resolved and confidence cannot be built without social dialogue. “I am convinced that there should be a permanent tripartite consultative council for the garments sector in order to take the immensely potential sector forward. ”The secretary urged the BILS to propose a framework for the committee to help the government examine the issue. “We can’t change the laws overnight. But we have regulations at our disposal where we can bring in changes. ”Both Reddy and Shipar said the planned council for the garment sector must be linked to the existing national Tripartite Consultative Council. “Otherwise, it will be a farce,” added Shipar.  Faruque Hassan, senior vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the relations between factory owners and workers have improved over the years, even if it has not reached its expected level. Labour leader Babul Akter said the leaders to be picked for the planned consultative committee must come from the garments sector. “Likewise, factory owners who will be chosen should be from compliant factories.” Shamima Nasrin, another labour leader, said there should be adequate representation of women as most garment workers are female. Eckhard Wilhelm Heine, head of the development cooperation of the German embassy in Dhaka, said a tripartite mechanism can yield great things. “So, let’s continue our efforts so we can reach a permanent tripartite mechanism.”Sten Petersen, country director of 3F, Denmark’s largest trade union, said a tripartite body cannot work effectively without a clear legal mandate. He said 90 percent of cases at the labour courts in Bangladesh can be solved at the sectoral and factory level. Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said a number of forums and committees have been formed in the country but they have worked reactively instead of proactively. As a result, we did not achieve desired results. We hope the labour ministry will keep this in mind while formulating the tripartite mechanism.”Alonzo Suson, country programme director of Solidarity Centre; Md Anwar Hossain, joint convener of Sramik Karmochari Oikya Parishad, a platform of workers and employees; Sukkur Mahmood, BILS vice chairman; Md Zafrul Hasan, joint secretary general, and Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive director, also spoke.