Bangladesh produces 400000 tons of recycled yarn and fabric locally which is enough to produce garments worth $6 billion annually.
This data was revealed at the seminar held in Dhaka titled “Switch to upstream circularity dialogue: pre-consumer textile waste in Bangladesh. The speakers at the seminar included garment exporters, researchers, and senior government officials. The apparel manufacturers also demanded a ban on the export of clothing waste.
The exporters informed that making garments from waste is necessary because the European Union which is the largest market for Bangladeshi apparel is making a law for importing apparel made from recycled yarn. They said the recycled yarn and fabrics will create the next opportunity for Bangladesh as international retailers and brands are preferring clothing items made from recycled yarn.
Additionally producing garments from recycled yarn would help Bangladesh’s case in obtaining the GSP Plus facility in the European Union (EU) as recycled garments items are made according to EU guidelines.
Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh M Masrur Reaz, stressed the need for taking a holistic vision, which provides direction, clarity, and stance of the country in terms of circularity for utilizing the new opportunity. A BGMEA official said that circularity is going to be the new normal for the garment industry to address the issues of sustainability, traceability, and climate change.
Other speakers at the seminar included Bernd Spanier, deputy head of mission of the delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh; Mark Draeck, chief technical adviser on SWITCH2CE at UNIDO, and Holly Syrett, director of impact programmes and sustainability at Global Fashion Agenda.
Bangladesh has vast potential to export recycled apparel
