A high-level delegation from the Netherlands Government paid a visit to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and met with its President S.M. Mannan (Kochi) in Dhaka.
According to a press release, the meeting’s main goal was to investigate cooperative options for advancing the RMG industry’s sustainable development in Bangladesh.
The delegation comprised of Sara van Hoeve, First Secretary of Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Bangladesh Lischelle Fisser, Desk officer for Bangladesh in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Nadia van de Weem, Private Sector Development officer, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Tanzila Tajreen, Senior Policy Advisor, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh.
The meeting, coordinated by BGMEA Vice President Abdullah Hil Rakib and actively participated by Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Shovon Islam, Md. Ashikur Rahman (Tuhin) and Shams Mahmud, delved into different issues pertinent to the ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh.
The main goal of the discussion was to identify areas for possible collaboration, with an emphasis on environmental sustainability activities within the RMG sector, specifically recycling, energy efficiency, and circular fashion.
The topic of promoting knowledge transfer, technology transfer, and financing access, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), was also discussed as a way to help the industry become more resource and energy-efficient. Recycling and other environmental issues were also discussed.
The RMG industry was given a brief overview by the BGMEA executives, who also highlighted the industry’s present priorities and measures to ensure sustainability.
They elaborated on industry initiatives including technology upgradation, innovation, digitization, and product diversification to remain competitive in the face of changing global market dynamics.
The Partnership for Cleaner Textiles (PaCT) programme, which has helped member firms reduce their water footprint, is one of the programmes that the BGMEA congratulated the Dutch government for.
In order to further improve sustainability and competitiveness within Bangladesh’s RMG industry, the significance of such measures was emphasised.
