Shifting from linear to circular economy holds the potential to create new avenues of value within the waste chain. Bangladesh, the second largest garment exporter in the world, is a big producer of pre-consumer waste. The country can turn this challenge into an opportunity through moving towards a circular economy.
The observations came from a panel of distinguished industry leaders, manufacturers, buyers representatives and experts who took part in a lively discussion on a topic “unlocking the waste value chain with an integrated circular approach.”
The discussion was as a part of a dialogue titled “Switch to Upstream Circularity: Pre-consumer Textile Waste in Bangladesh.” It took place in the Amari Hotel in Dhaka on September 3.
This event was organized under the Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains project (SWITCH2CE), co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Finland. SWITCH2CE is led by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with Chatham House, Circle Economy, and European Investment Bank, and supports the switch to circularity in selected global value chains.
Distinguished panelists included Abdur Rahim Khan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh; Abu Syed Belal, Trade Counselor, EU Delegation to Bangladesh; Francesca Rulli, Founder-Process Factory & Sustainability Manager; Faisal Rabbi, Stakeholder Engagement & Public Affairs Manager - H&M; and Nin Castle, Co-Founder, Reverse Resources.