Bangladesh, a country which exports apparel items to over 160 countries in the world with ‘Made in Bangladesh’ tag. ‘Made in Bangladesh’ has turned into a famous and trusted symbol for fashion lovers across the world. However, to come to this position Bangladesh had to walk through a long and hard path.
Once ‘Made in Bangladesh’ tag springs to mind some negative scenarios, especially after the Tazrin Fashion fire incident (November 2012) and Rana Plaza building collapse (April 2013). However, now when one reads ‘Made in Bangladesh’ on a fashion item label, the consumer desires to have such products in his/her wardrobe.
Bangladesh now a global leader in terms of green factory, better compliance, reasonable product price, quality product etc. Bangladesh’s green factory revolution reached a landmark as the country has now 176 such factories with USGBC’s LEED certification. Of them, 76 are platinum-rated, 105 gold-rated, 10 silver-rated and four are only certified. USGBC honors factories based on some criteria – transformation performance, energy, water, and waste management. The best performances what are being shown by Bangladesh textile and apparel entrepreneurs are exemplary to others.
The recent ‘Made in Bangladesh Week’—organized by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) in partnership with Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) on 12 to 18 November 2022—has uplift the industry throughout the whole supply chain in very unique way. The week-long initiative presented physical events comprising summits, expositions, exhibitions, awards, factory tours, cultural shows and networking dinner.
The signature event of Bangladesh was organized to bring all the stakeholders of Bangladesh apparel industry under one roof to initiate collaborations as well as discuss prospects and roadmap for the future. In addition, the event worked towards a collective promise of promoting sustainability and responsible business.
We have seen the success of the event that proves Bangladesh textile and apparel entrepreneurs are moving towards very cautiously to firm its foothold in the global arena. And International Apparel Federation (IAF) President Sam Altan praised Bangladesh as it is moving forward with careful steps in the world clothing market.
There are some other initiatives which will thrive the ‘Made in Bangladesh’ identity with more strength. According to a new report, Bangladeshi textile and apparel makers are set to invest about $3.5 billion in new technologies – including state of the art machinery to produce manmade fibre and robotic technology – within the next year to make the sector’s $100 billion export target a reality by 2030. Already more than 100 local apparel exporters have their own design and innovation centres, at least 25 of which are world-class.
At the same time, in terms of workers efficiency Bangladesh is doing better than previous period. World class Bangladeshi textile and apparel professionals are successfully leading the industry.
Above all, entrepreneurs, professionals and workers have done great job, contributed significantly to attain a strong clutch in global market with their ‘Made in Bangladesh’ identity. However, ongoing global economic slowdown, energy crisis etc. are hampering the industry a lot. Industry people are worried as they are getting less work orders, and cannot operate them due to energy crisis. To keep continue the success of ‘Made in Bangladesh’ wheels need to be moved.
