Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Solidaridad Network Asia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the BGMEA Complex in the capital's Uttara area. The objective of this collaboration is to combine the efforts on workers wellbeing and reskilling, productivity enhancement, expedite the process of building a digital platform for sustainability reporting, and achieving ESG standards and international corporate due diligence towards reaching a sustainable and green apparel sector, said a press release.
All of these will contribute to achieving BGMEA's Sustainable Strategic Vision: 2030.
The collaborative effort will inflect on skilling and re-skilling the factory workers and mid-level managers on 4IR, green workplace and provide earnest emphasis on women empowerment by designing and implementing supervisory skill development trainings.
Both organizations will promote the adoption of improved energy efficiency business model through developing and disseminating position paper and through developing required capacity of BGMEA member factories via consultation process.
Under this partnership, BGMEA and Solidaridad will implement knowledge and capacities on implementing EU due diligence, particularly, Dutch and French derivatives on due diligence.
Solidaridad will support BGMEA in creating a digital data platform to obtain meaningful and reliable data from the BGMEA member factories on the ESG issues to ensure more transparent and real time reporting.
The partnership will work together to prepare the Sustainability Report of BGMEA enlisted factories in an updated platform for wider reach and circulation.
The collaboration will also work on improving the capacities of the factories on chemical management and incorporating the international chemical standards (ZDHC) into the policies of apparel industries and management systems to strengthen the reporting and monitoring mechanism of sustainability agenda and achieving the BGMEA Sustainability Strategic Vision: 2030.
Overall, the partnership is expected to facilitate international trade and business dialogues with the brands and international authorities to improve productivity and increase trade and investment for Bangladesh apparel sector.
Shahidullah Azim, vice president of BGMEA and Selim Reza Hasan, the country manager of Solidaridad Network Asia, signed the MoU at the BGMEA Complex in presence of the directors and officials of both BGMEA and Solidaridad.
Azim said, "The RMG industry of Bangladesh has made its mark in the global market as a safe and sustainable apparel sourcing destination,"
He said the BGMEA is committed to elevating the industry to a better position in terms of safety, environmental sustainability and workers' rights and wellbeing in line with due diligence as we have envisioned in the BGMEA's Sustainability Strategic Vision 2030. "I hope this partnership will support in achieve the industry's vision."
At the signing ceremony, Selim Reza Hasan, country manager of Solidaridad Bangladesh mentioned that "The partnership between BGMEA and Solidaridad will make a significant stride for improving the sustainability norms and practices towards making the Bangladesh appeal industry more sustainable and inclusive.
