Bangladesh has strengthened its position as the global leader in green apparel factories, as the country now has 180 such factories with the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification (certificate for green factories). Two more Bangladeshi garment factories have achieved green building certification from the USGBC in the gold category in December, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The green certified factories are Dresden Textiles Ltd of Mymensingh with point 68 out of 110 and Victoria Intimates Ltd of Dhaka with 62 points. Read more: Two new RMG factories under BGMEA now green certified Bangladesh has achieved 27 green building certification in 2022, including 13 in platinum category which is the highest in a year,  so far. Of the total 180 green-certified factories, 58 are platinum-rated, 108 gold-rated, 10 silver-rated and four are only certified. Besides, some 550 are also in the pipeline to get the USGBC’s LEED certification. Read more: Bangladesh now has 176 green garment factories – highest in the world USGBC honours factories based on several criteria – transformation performance, energy, water, and waste management. The best performers are rated with platinum, followed by gold and silver.

Thirty institutions, including 15 garment factories, have received Green Factory Award 2020 for their contribution to saving the environment and creating employment. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the award-giving ceremony virtually as the chief guest. State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian handed over the awards on behalf of the PM in the capital Wednesday. The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the "Green Factory Award 2020" this year to encourage local industries to invest in green measures. Read Grameenphone observes Green Week 2022 The award-winning institutions include 15 factories from the garment industry, three institutions from the food processing, four from tea, two from leather, three from the plastic and three others from the pharmaceutical sectors. The garment factories which received the award are Remi Holdings Limited, Tarasima Apparels Limited, Plummy Fashions Limited, Mithela Textile Industries Limited, Vintage Denim Studio Limited, AR Jeans Producer Limited, Karooni Knit Composite Limited, Designer Fashion Limited, Kenpark Bangladesh Apparel Private Limited (Kenpark Unit 2), Green Textile Limited (Unit 3), Four H Dyeing and Printing Limited, Wisdom Attires Limited, Mahmuda Attires Limited, Snowtex Outerwear Limited and Auko-Tex Limited. Bangladesh has 152 green garment buildings certified as "Leadership in Environmental and Energy in Design (LEED)" by the US Green Building Council. Read Bangladesh, Denmark sign document to strengthen partnership on green transition Among them 44 factories are platinum rated while 94 are gold rated, 10 are silver. 500 more factories are in the process of achieving LEED certification. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan congratulated the factories on winning the award and expressed appreciation for their efforts to cut carbon emissions and global warming and their commitment to a healthy and sustainable future. He urged the government to honour all green garment factories in Bangladesh with awards to recognise their contributions to protecting the environment. Read Huawei to enrich digital solutions to empower APAC's green development