It is to look beyond Rana Plaza, the darkest chapter of Bangladesh, which happened on 24 April 2013, claiming the lives of over 1,134 workers, injuring thousands of others, most from the garment factories. Immediately, for the safety and security of the workers the country’s 4,500-odd garment factories, manufacturing clothes for Western stores, was soon taken over by two ‘watchdogs’ – The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (representing mainly the US brands) and the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (an independent and legally binding agreement to work towards a safe and healthy garment and textile industry, representing largely European brands and retailers).

Improving trade, Bangladesh has taken some serious steps, like making registration for buying houses mandatory to put a check on malpractices; signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with Eurasian Economic Commission; attracting Chinese garment and fabric makers for investment; building clean image pertaining to workers’ rights and welfare, among others.

Also covered in the magazine is detailed coverage of just concluded Texprocess 2019, held in Frankfurt (Germany), with 317 exhibitors from 34 countries showcasing the latest processing technologies and sewing systems, as well as an array of IT and logistics solutions.