The high value-added and non-cotton textile items hold great potential for investment in Bangladesh as the apparel industry is increasingly focusing on a shift towards synthetic fibres, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said Monday.

The growing consciousness among the consumers about the environment and sustainability are driving them towards non-cotton, especially manmade fibres, and Bangladesh has ample opportunity in this area, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said.

He was delivering the keynote speech at a session "Readymade garments and textiles – weaving the way" during an investment summit at a city hotel.

Md Atiqul Islam, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, chaired the session, and Shovon Islam, managing director of Sparrow Group, moderated it.

Faruque said, "Along with focusing on fibre diversification, we also need to make a considerable investment in skill development to make sophisticated products."

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He also emphasised making more progress in innovation, pattern making, design input services, developing own collections, trend analysis, product research and development.

"We need to invest in technologies like virtual design and prototyping for quick adaptation in the area of design. Investment in the areas of reskilling and upskilling our workers is important to take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," the BGMEA president said.

Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries, Mohammad Hatem, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, and Shwapna Bhowmick, head of Marks and Spencer Bangladesh Sourcing Office, attended the session as panellists.

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The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) organised the two-day summit that began Sunday.