Foreign partners in the sector believe that Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry is becoming a major ‘sourcing hub’ for global buyers after recovering from the epidemic.
Attendees at the Bashundhara International Conference Center in Dhaka on Tuesday spoke to a number of buyers, foreign investors and suppliers participating in the International Sustainable Apparel Forum.
Fashion experts, buyers, technology support organizations from 39 countries of the world are participating in this conference. There are 75 companies from different countries including 30 local companies in this exhibition.
Ziaur Rahman, Regional Head of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ethiopia of Swedish fashion brand H&M, who participated in the exhibition, said, “Bangladesh has now become one of our most important sourcing countries. 11 percent of the total purchases are now from Bangladesh. These purchases may increase in the coming days.
“Now we are in a very good position in the world of clothing. The main reason is that there are many green factories or eco-friendly factories here. ”
He said, “A buyer cannot come and comment on the quality and working environment of the factory now. Secondly, the history of garment industry in Bangladesh has now reached a mature age. Now there is no product that Bangladesh cannot make. For these reasons, buyers around the world are looking at this market.
“Apart from the ongoing epidemic, various garment producing countries of the world have been frustrated, but Bangladesh has been able to turn around quite well with the help of government initiatives and the efforts of investors.”
At present, H&M buys products directly from 300 garment factories in Bangladesh. Ziaur said that the strategy adopted by Bangladeshi industrial owners to improve the working environment, diversify products and produce high value products, makes it possible to export 100 billion dollars in the next 10 years.
In the last financial year, garments worth হাজার 3,085 crore were exported from Bangladesh. The target for the current fiscal year is 4,350 crore dollars.
Shafiqur Rahman, a regional officer at G-Star, another clothing brand, said his company had bought থেকে 80 million worth of products from Bangladesh this year, of which 75 percent were net goods. However, his company has recently started buying a variety of high-end products, including denim, outside of net products.
“Every year, our purchases from Bangladesh are growing by 30 percent. We expect to purchase পণ্য 90 million worth of products annually over the next three years. ”
Aliche Tonello, owner of Tonelo, an Italian garment technology company that participated in the exhibition, said his company has been supplying machineries in Bangladesh for the past 26 years. They have textile, garment and washing machineries in about 1500 garment factories.
“Bangladesh is a very important market for us now. The demand for our various machineries is increasing every year in Bangladesh. We expect the garment sector to expand further in the coming days. ”
Turkish company Bose is looking for a local partner to set up a factory here in the next two years as Bangladesh moves out of the list of least developed countries and moves to Qatar, a developing country.
Ilmiz Demir, Regional Sales Manager of the company in Bangladesh, said, “We have been supplying denim fabrics to companies in Bangladesh for the last 18 years. One million yards of denim is sold every year. But after LDC graduation in Bangladesh, valuation will become an important issue in the European market for GSP facility. So we are looking for reliable local partners to set up the factory here. ”
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation and former President of BGMEA Md. Atiqul Islam, European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne van Leeuwen, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Riaz Hamidullah, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruk Hasan, BKMEA Executive President Mohammad Hatem Chief Anna Athanasopolu, Barbara Bijalik of the financial sector and Regulatory Engagement Lead Center on OECD’s responsible business behavior, platform the World Economic Forum platform the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains’ Curanic Co. Pascal Brun, chief of its sustainability, Xavier Santonza Olsina, the regional head of Inditex in Bangladesh and Pakistan; Mark Anner, Founder and CEO of Remake, Ayesha Barenblatt, Vice President of Better Buying Research, Nazet Draper, Good Fashion Fund’s Team Lead Impact Investment, Gemma Verhoven .
Mostafiz Uddin, Founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, said, “We have brought all fashion stakeholders under one roof at the Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) conference this year to accelerate the sustainable development of the garment industry in Bangladesh.
“Especially after the Kovid-19 epidemic, which has had a profound effect on the global clothing supply chain. This forum is a platform for high-level discussions on how to achieve our goals of sustainability in a meaningful, realistic way. ”
Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam said, “Bangladesh’s garment industry, especially after the Rana Plaza accident, has always been vigilant about adhering to and ensuring safety restrictions. The emphasis now is on concerted efforts to ensure a more ethical and sustainable industry. ”
The Ambassador of the Netherlands, Anne von Leuven, said, “Bangladesh has made significant progress in the field of security and sustainability in the garment industry. However, there is still much to be done to make the industry more sustainable, where stakeholder involvement and cooperation is key. ”
BGMEA President Farooq Hasan said, “Today, Bangladesh’s garment factories are not only safer, but they are also more dynamic, modern, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Bangladesh is now home to the largest number of green factories.
“We believe that sustainable development is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We are committed to maintaining the social and environmental excellence we have achieved in the industry. At the same time, we are focused on building business capacity. ”
