A section of readymade garment factory owners has alleged that the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a consortium of North American retailers, is incorporating additional corrective action plan to factories during its follow-up inspection. The factory owners have recently informed the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association that the inclusion of additional CAP may hamper the smooth progress of remediation process. The BGMEA last week requested the North American retailers group to limit follow-up visits to factories and not to include additional cap as the factories are implementing CAPs on initial findings. A senior official of Alliance said that they had received a letter in this regard from the BGMEA and assured the garments factory owners that in the final inspection the Alliance declared factories compliant or noncompliant based on the implementation of corrective action plans on initial findings. ‘We are giving follow-up findings to some factories to help the factory authorities in ensuring more safe working place in their establishments but the progresses of follow-up corrective actions will not be considered during the final inspection,’ he said. BGMEA officials said that the follow-up inspections were usually carried out to assess the corrective actions taken on the points originally covered in the CAP. The BGMEA in its letter requested the Alliance to evaluate the corrective actions to a later date after implementation of the original CAP. It said that new findings were likely to hamper the remediation process as factory owners were engaged in implementing the original CAP. ‘….if follow-up visits continue to add new findings in the CAP, it may turn out to be a never ending process for both the factory and the Alliance,’ the BGMEA letter said. After the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013 that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, the North American retailers formed Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety. The initiative launched inspection programmes in the Bangladeshi RMG factories from where their members procure products and completed their primary safety assessments in their listed factories numbering over 600. The retailers’ group targeted to complete its final inspection by July 2017 and now the Alliance is verifying through periodic visits that factories are making progress and completing remediation in accordance with the Alliance standards.

The story starts two years back in a grim background. Fazlul Haque, a business leader, got into odds over the Rana Plaza disaster. That episode is now about to yield a storybook ending in Bangladesh’s highest export-earning sector.   The day was April 24, and Mr Haque was on board a Kathmandu-bound flight to attend an international conference. The news of the plaza collapse was already aired, with the death toll rising by the time.  All on a sudden, a passenger came up to Mr Haque and asked: ‘Why you are not in Savar where many garment workers are killed in Rana Plaza collapse?’ “It was really embarrassing for me although I was not an office bearer of any garment trade bodies at the time,” recalls Mr Haque. “The man demanded that I should stay there.” Fazlul Haque, a former president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), finally skipped the man. But it made a deep impression on him. “I deeply felt that, as a garment entrepreneur, I have to do something,” he continues. “Later we decided to set up a knit factory without harming the environment and ensuring maximum comfort for the workers.” Thus comes Plummy Fashions Limited, set up in an area of 5.5 acres of land, with environment-friendly building and 50 per cent green open space. It takes only 12 months to complete the major part of the construction. With a project cost worth Tk 600 million, it gets green-refinance support from Bangladesh Bank. Situated in Norshingpur area of Kashipur union in Narayanganj Sadar Upazila, the factory is now getting ready for operation. The main production building, made in pre-fabricated steel, is only two storied and has 10 exit points in case of emergency. It is fully air-conditioned to provide comfort for the workers. In another two-storey building nearby is workers’ lifestyle centre. One part of this building’s ground floor is childcare centre where a lady physician will be available every working day. Other part is dining hall. One part of the first floor is prayer hall while other part is training centre with 200 sitting capacity. Last week, a group of journalists visited Plummy Fashion premises to have firsthand experience of the green initiative. “We have put our effort in to make the project country’s first highly green knitwear factory of international standards,” said Fazlul Haque, managing director of the company. He also informed the journalists that the project is likely to be rated as ‘LEED Platinum’ as per the guidelines of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating is a points-based system where a rating level is achieved once a project meets all of the prerequisites and a minimum number of points. Depending on the number of points earned, a project may be labelled LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold or LEED Platinum. In Bangladesh, first LEED Platinum-rated garment factory is Vintage Dennim Studio, situated in Ishwardy Export Processing Zone. It, however, produces only denim. “Plummy is first such factory in knit garment industry which is the largest export item of Bangladesh,” said Mr Haque. “It is also world’s first green knit factory.” Some 2,000 workers can work in the factory which has production capacity of 0.92 million pieces every month. Initial production will start this month and full-swing operation within few months as some other construction works are still going on. “We are highly energy-saving as we will use sunlight in daytime.  Energy-efficient lights will be used in adjustment with reduction of sun light in rainy days and winter season,” said Ranjan Dhaor, another director of the company. Around 13 per cent of power will be supplied from solar panels installed on rooftop of the building, he added. Plummy Fashions also set up mechanism to use rainwater to ease pressure on groundwater and to restrict misuse of water. There is a strong fire-fighting arrangement where huge reserve of water is assured. An effluent-treatment plant is also there.   With lot of trees and plants around and a pond at the centre of the premises, the whole landscape takes a soothing look. “Factories caring to people and plant are possible in Bangladesh,” said Mr Haque. “We start a journey and definitely others will soon join the rally. Some 50 to 100 such green factories could be built easily as many entrepreneurs have the financial ability to do this. This will change the image of the readymade garments in a positive direction.”

Bangladesh is projected to achieve middle income status by 2021. In this process, the readymade garment (RMG) sector has a crucial role to play. It contributes more than 65 per cent of national export earnings and employs around eight million people in Bangladesh. The RMG sector is being made compliant and environmentally sustainable as the government, retailers, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have undertaken a number of initiatives to improve the overall condition of this sector. These  include zero discharge of hazardous chemicals, Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PACT), establishing biological effluent treatment plant (ETP), through which used water of the factories would be recyclable and establishing central ETP on the basis of the cluster to share the facility among the adjoining factories. Sustainable industrial growth is a major challenge for development of Bangladesh. Regulatory compliance in the industrial sector is essential for better natural and human environment as well as complies with the international buyer’s requirement. To meet the national development goals and eco-friendly industrial growth, setting up of ETP will indeed be a step towards building an eco-friendly Bangladesh. Textile industries produce wastewater, otherwise known as effluent, as a bi-product of their production. Effluent from the textile industry is a major source of environmental pollution, especially water pollution. Among various stages of textile production, the operations in the dyeing plants, which include pre-treatments, dyeing and finishing, produce most of the pollution. The textile dyeing wastes contain unused or partially used organic compounds, and high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). These are often of strong colour and may also be of high temperature. When disposed of into water bodies or onto lands these effluents will result in deterioration of ecology and damage to aquatic life. Moreover, they may cause damage to fisheries and economic loss to fishermen and farmers, besides having adverse impacts on human health. The rise in the number of industries including textile dyeing units has seriously increased pollution in the country. Consequently, national laws have been enacted to protect  environment from this pollution. Under the Environmental Conservation Rules 1997, industrial units and projects are classified into four categories (Green, Orange A, Orange B, and Red) based on their environmental impact and location. Fabric dyeing and chemical treatment industries fall under the Red category. This means that when these are applying for site clearance they must submit an ETP plan to the Department of Environment, including the layout and location. When the design is approved by the Department of Environment and the ETP has been constructed, then Red category industries can apply for an environmental clearance certificate. In accordance with the Act and Environmental Rules (1997), it is mandatory for textile dyeing factories to install ETPs to treat wastewater before it leaves the factory premises. In this connection, environmental sustainability and safer workplace have become a mandatory precondition for the Bangladeshi RMG sector as global buyers are worried over ecological balance and sustainable development and full-fledged compliance. International pressure for effluent treatment is also increasing and many buyers are now showing more concern over whether textiles are produced in an environmentally friendly way. This trend means that in the near future it is likely that installation and operation of an ETP will be essential to sustain business in the competitive world market. Effluent from textile dyeing industries must meet the national effluent discharge quality standards set by the government of Bangladesh including the “Quality Standards for Classified Industries” (Tables 1 and 2), and may also need to meet additional standards set by international textile buyers. Consequently, any ETP must be designed and operated in such a way that it treats the wastewater to these standards.  The waste discharge quality standards differ according to the point of disposal. So, the standards are different for inland surface water (ponds, tanks, water bodies, water holes, canals, river, springs or estuaries), public sewers (any sewer connected with fully combined processing plant including primary and secondary treatment) and irrigated land defined as an appropriately irrigated plantation area of specified crops based on quantity and quality of wastewater. Although colour is not included in the Environment Conservation Rules (11997), it is an issue in dyeing house effluent because unlike other pollutants it is so visible. Reducing colour is therefore important for the public perception of a factory. Consequently, international textile buyers are increasingly setting discharge standards for colour. ETP installing technique is also an important factor here. Any factory needing to install an ETP has to consider several factors. For example, information about the waste water from a factory is required, including quantity and quality. To get this information the factory will have to take samples and to analyse it at a reputed laboratory. Some of the factors to be considered are presented in the following figure 1. Now-a-days, many industries are now facing difficulties as effluent treatment is not part of their daily business. However, in order to operate ETPs effectively and to meet national standards, they require regular and proper monitoring. Untreated and treated wastewater characteristics need to be known and must be monitored regularly to evaluate the efficiency of the treatment plant. Different parameters in different units of the ETP also need to be checked to diagnose any internal breakdown of the system. But despite these laws, factory owners often show reluctance to invest money in proper treatment because they consider it to be a non-productive use of money in an industry that is still emerging and striving to remain profitable in the highly competitive global market. Even where industries already have ETPs, there is often the unwillingness to operate the plants correctly because of the high-running costs or the lack of experience to do so effectively. It is high time to put emphasis on taking a series of initiatives for environmental sustainability to reduce negative impact of someone’s business on environment. Currently, environmental sustainability is a topical issue that receives attention from the media and from different governmental departments. It is a positive sign that many industries are also making progress in establishing and operating their own ETPs to comply with national and international requirements, and also because of increased personal awareness of the negative impacts of industrial effluents. Therefore, it is very important to gain more knowledge concerning ecological problems our country is facing and also important to find out the ways to conserve our natural resources. When we recycle and use fewer petroleum products and household chemicals and purchase environmentally friendly products, we are making an investment in our future. Another way to have a positive impact on the environment is to learn how to save water. For this purpose, we need a green project to make the environment eco-friendly, self-sustaining and living in harmony with the earth. It is also very important to environmentalists to explore, develop and manage the sustainable use of environmental resources and need to work more on awareness building to use energy-saving lights and other machinery. At the same time they need to involve actively in the monitoring and mitigation of environmental hazards and problems as well. The writer is Senior Assistant Secretary, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

Bangladesh’s garment sector is moving towards green building initiatives to impress the growing tribe of eco-minded international retailers, and in the process, grab more work orders.So far, 14 garment factories from Bangladesh have received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.Of the factories, five were conferred the platinum status, five gold, one silver and the other three received just the normal certification from the US agency.Fifty more factories are in queue to receive the LEED certification, as they have already passed the selection criteria, according to BGMEA.LEED is a green building certification programme that recognises the best-in-class building strategies and practices.To receive LEED certification, building projects must satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.Prerequisites and credits differ for each rating system, and teams choose the best fit for their project.

By the end of 2016, more than 150 factories are expected to be given the LEED certification, according to Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of BGMEA.The construction of more green factories means higher export growth of garment items from Bangladesh, he said.The factory owners, especially those who are expanding their operations, are going for green buildings, mainly to bag more work orders from international retailers.The benefits of green buildings are quite long, including reduction of energy consumption by more than 24 percent and water consumption by 50 percent.Since Bangladeshi garment makers are going for high-end garment production, green initiatives will help a lot in building their confidence, as LEED certification indicates practice of good compliance and environmentally safe procedures, Azim said.The other direct benefits of green buildings include enhancement of image of the factory, protection of health and safety and higher productivity by the workers in a good environment.In Bangladesh, green building initiatives are mainly undertaken for marketing reasons, as having such structures increases the confidence of retailers, said David Hasanat, managing director of Viyellatex Group that has operations in two gold LEED certified buildings.“The retailers do not ask so many queries if they see that the goods were made in a factory housed in a green building,” he said, adding that the company could reduce electricity and water consumption due to the green building initiative.“I could also maintain the air quality for efficient use of energy and water.”Fazlul Hoque, managing director of Narayanganj-based Plummy Fashions, said he received the platinum LEED certification after scoring 93 from the available 110 pointsThe plant will be the first LEED platinum factory in the world in knitwear sub-sector, Hoque said, adding that he will start production in the structure by this month.There are two LEED platinum factories in Sri Lanka, but they are not in the knitwear business.The establishment of such high-quality green structure has opened up new avenues for Hoque, as he is currently in talks with Marks & Spencer, Espirit, Li & Fung and Carrefour, some renowned global retailers.Zillur Rahman, managing director of Ishwardi EPZ-based Vintage Denim Studio, said his factory is also a platinum-rated building in denim sub-sector, after it scored more than 90 points.I started the operations of the factory three years ago and now I have been receiving overwhelming responses from retailers in Europe and the US due to the green initiative,” said Rahman.He produces 4.5 lakh pieces of denim products a month, while employing 2,000 workers. “I could save a lot of electricity and water due to the green building.”