The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporter Association (BGMEA) has published the first Sustainability Report at an association level. It is an attempt to assess its performance in the changing business landscape of the new normal.BGMEA took the initiative to report its sustainability performances through the lens of the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) sustainability reporting framework.
This Sustainability Report has been developed with the German Government’s assistance via the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, as part of the Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry (PSES) programme.
Presently, BGMEA has around 4,500 member factories. Around 40% of them are knitwear and sweater manufactures, and the rest 60% are woven garment manufactures. BGMEA pledged to the “Green Button Initiative” of the German Government in 2019. The “Green Button” initiative is the first-ever state-owned global seal on environmental sustainability, looking into all aspects of apparel products’ sustainability.
In the global business landscape, sustainability and business are strongly intertwined. The ready-made garments (RMG) industry of Bangladesh has faced numerous challenges since its inception. RMG has created almost 10 million jobs, with a 65% share of female jobholders. The BGMEA has set excellent standards for social and environmental compliances in the textile industry.
RMG industry’s impact is not just confined just stitching garments but also extends to socio-economic strata. The RMG industry of Bangladesh, concerning sustainability, is committed to maintaining a strong foothold in line with the global apparel brands.
Not only socially, but BGMEA also partners with international stakeholders and platforms like the United Nations and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to promote environmental sustainability in the garment industry. BGMEA signed the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action in 2019 with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a supporting organization to reduce GHG emissions of the industry by 30% within 2030.
