Green factories of Bangladesh are contributing most to reshaping the image of its apparel industry that suffered serious setbacks following some major industrial disasters, experts say.
They (the industry experts) asserted that green apparel factories of Bangladesh are creating examples of best practices all around the globe, all the while contributing to overall sustainable, economic and environmental development of the country. These points were highlighted at a programme organised to award the best trendsetters in green factories at ‘LEED Green Factory Award’ on March 1, 2018, at Apparel Club of BGMEA Complex, Dhaka.
The programme was organised by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in association with USGBC and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) to recognise the 13 LEED Platinum certified factories of Bangladesh.
“The RMG industry’s steps and achievement so far in environmental sustainability will contribute to ushering in a new era in the industrial sector of Bangladesh,” Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ministry of Environment and Forests, said at the programme.
Previously, Bangladesh’s apparel manufacturers identified an existing image crisis in the global market, apprehensive of the worker-safety standards in the country, following some major industrial disasters like Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen Fashions fire in the past. Since then, an overwhelming overhaul has taken place in what is being termed as “tangible transformation” at great costs to meet the global standard in workplace safety. Now, Bangladesh’s apparel manufacturers boast of setting the best standards in factory setup.
At present, Bangladesh has 67 LEED green factories certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), of which 13 are LEED Platinum-rated – recognised for best practices in design, construction and operations that protect the environment and human health. Also, among the top 10 LEED Platinum certified factories in the world, seven are of Bangladesh’s.
The 13 LEED Green Factory Award recipient are: Remi Holdings Limited, Tarasima Apparels Limited, Plummy Fashions Limited, Vintage Denim Studio Limited, Columbia Washing Plant Limited, Echotex Limited, SQ Celsius Unit 2 Limited, Kaniz Fashions Limited, Genesis Washing Limited, Genesis Fashions Limited, SQ Birichina Limited, SQ ColBlanc Limited, and Envoy Textiles Limited.
Fazlul Haque, Managing Director of LEED Platinum-certified ‘Plummy Fashions Limited’, said this is one achievement that the world needs to know about – “how much Bangladesh has progressed”. “There are a lot of positive aspects about Bangladesh and its Platinum-rated green factories are certainly the shining example of a positive development in the industry.”
“It is factories like these that are helping transform the image of Bangladesh’s RMG sector as modern, safe and green. This is a real milestone for Bangladesh’s RMG and a sign of the significant strides you have made in recent years to make the industry more sustainable,” said Marcia Bernicat, US Ambassador to Bangladesh, in a written message at the programme.
Among others present in the programme were Moinuddin Ahmed, first Vice President of BGMEA, SM Mannan Kochi, Vice President of BGMEA, Mohammed Nasir, Vice President (Finance) of BGMEA and Mahmud Hasan Khan, Vice President of BGMEA.
Siddiqur Rahman, President of BGMEA, lauded the achievement as a “silent revolution” within the country. He said, “The entrepreneurs of our RMG sector are the architects of this achievement in green industrialisation. The LEED Green Factory Award is for them to recognise their efforts and achievement.”
It is a matter of great pride that Bangladesh is the second-largest RMG exporter in the world and also an emerging leader in green industrialisation.