André van Ommeren, Director - International Development , Netherlands Enterprise Agency of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at BGMEA Complex in Uttara on Tuesday. Charge D'Affaires at the Netherlands Embassy in Bangladesh Thijs Woudstra, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Press, Publication and Publicity Shovon Islam, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Trade Fair Mohammed Kamal Uddin and Managing Director of Standard Group Engineer Mosharraf Hossain were also present at the meeting. They had discussions about various issues of the RMG industry, particularly how the Netherlands could collaborate with the sector to support its pursuance of growth in a more sustainable manner. They also discussed the progress of the ongoing program being implemented by BGMEA in the RMG sector including how participating garment factories under the Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) program have reduced their water footprint. PaCT is financially supported by the Netherlands government. In the meeting, they expressed interest in stepping up collaboration to make the more sustainable and competitive with innovation and technology.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged audit organisation Sedex to portray a positive picture of Bangladesh's apparel industry internationally. Sedex saw the impressive journey of Bangladesh's transformation, both socially and environmentally, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said. Anupam Prasad, head of office at Sedex India, and Naveen Ganapathy, business development and support executive, paid a courtesy visit to Faruque in Dhaka Tuesday. Read more: BGMEA, GarmentTechBD to collaborate in improving supply chain management skills The two sides discussed possible cooperation and future engagement between BGMEA and Sedex to better facilitate Sedex certification for garment factories in Bangladesh. They also talked about collaboration to enhance the reputation of Bangladesh as a safe, sustainable and compliant hub of apparel sourcing in the world.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan on Tuesday underscored the need for comprehensive efforts and mass awareness to improve nutritional status of garment workers who are the driving force behind the RMG industry in Bangladesh. “Inadequate nutrition, particularly among women, is one of the main reasons for worker inefficiency. Workers will be able to maintain good health and the energy to be as productive as the job required if nutritious and safe foods are ensured for them,” he said. Faruque Hassan made the observations while speaking at a program organized by Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Auchan Foundation in Dhaka. Read more: BGMEA chief for intensifying collaboration with S Africa to reap mutual benefits Besides, not always the RMG workers have proper knowledge of which foods are good in terms of nutritional value, so awareness should be raised among them about nutritious foods and their benefits, he added. “In addition to law mandatory CSR activities, many RMG factories in Bangladesh are taking praiseworthy initiatives for workers to ensure their well-being,” Faruque said in his speech. One of such initiatives is fair price shop where daily commodities are sold at affordable prices, he said, adding that if workers could be made aware and encouraged to buy foods having nutritional value would be health beneficial for them. Read more: Technological innovations crucial for competitiveness, sustainability of Bangladesh's industrialisation: BGMEA Apart from initiatives of individual factories, a comprehensive approach needs to be taken by all the stakeholders of the garment sector for ensuring the proper nutrition of garment workers at affordable prices, Faruque remarked. Md. Ehsan-E-Elahi, Secretary, Ministry of Labor and Employee; Khaled Mamun Chowdhury, ndc, Director General, Department of Labour; Mohammad Hatem, Executive President, BKMEA;  Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President (Finance), BGMEA; Ms. Juliette Bataille, Project Manager, Auchan Foundation; Alain Reners, General Delegate, Auchan Foundation; and Dr. Rudaba Khondorker, Country Director, GAIN also spoke at the event.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has briefed Moody’s Investor Service about the future priorities of the RMG industry to enhance its capabilities and competitiveness in the global market in the coming days. The priorities include increased emphasis on product diversification, innovation, technology upgradation and skill development. Read more: Germany's TU Dresden to give technical, knowledge support to BGMEA's CIEOSH A delegation of Moody’s Investor Service met with BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at BGMEA Complex on Tuesday to understand the status quo of the RMG industry in Bangladesh, especially its prospects, current challenges, and way forward. The Moody’s team included Alka Anbarasu, Associate Managing Director, and Camille Chautard, Analyst. A representative of Bangladesh Bank was also present at the meeting, according to BGMEA. They had discussions about different trade-related issues Bangladesh’s RMG industry, including the challenges posed by the present global energy crisis and inflation, impacts on exports and possible ways to deal with the situation. Read more: BGMEA urges US' Jordache to source more from Bangladesh BGMEA President Faruque Hassan apprised the Moody’s team of remarkable progress made by Bangladesh’s apparel industry, becoming one of the safest and greenest industries in the world. Mentioning the proven resilience of the industry, he expressed high optimism would be able to weather the tough time. The RMG sector is keeping close eyes on the global market situation and would move ahead strategically based on the situation, he added. Moody’s Investor Service is a leading provider of credit ratings, research, and risk analysis. Faruque Hassan invited the Moody’s delegation to the Made in Bangladesh Week which will be organised by BGMEA on 12-18 November 2022 to promote Bangladesh and the RMG industry.

The RMG industry of Bangladesh is strongly focusing on enhancing business capabilities attaching importance to sustainability, said BGMEA President Faruque Hassan on Tuesday. He said the International Finance Corporation   has already funded several studies for the RMG sector to explore its opportunities and ways to realise them. A delegation of BGMEA led by President Faruque Hassan met Jiyeon Janice Ryu, Resident Representative of International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Korea on Tuesday. The BGMEA team included Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Director Asif Ashraf, Managing Director of DBL Group M. A. Jabbar and Managing Director of Hams Group Engr. Md. Shafiqur Rahman. Nuzhat Anwar, Senior Country Officer, IFC Dhaka and Nishat Chowdhury, Program Manager of IFC’s "Partnership for Cleaner Textile: PaCT" program were also present. They had discussions about issues related to the apparel and textile industry, particularly challenges and ways to accelerate environmental sustainability in the sector. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan apprised the IFC of the progress made by Bangladesh’s apparel industry in the area environmental sustainability, including remarkable results reducing water consumption in the clothing sector of Bangladesh through the PaCT program supported by IFC. The "Partnership for Cleaner Textile: PaCT" program has been supporting participating factories in reducing the carbon footprint and water footprint. One of the studies aims to identify potential scope of non-cotton textile and apparel for Bangladesh in the global apparel market and formulate a strategy to develop the country's overall competitiveness and strength in the area. He requested the IFC Representative in Korea to exchange knowledge and expertise in the area of sustainability from Korean perspective. Faruque Hassan invited the IFC team in Korea to the Made in Bangladesh Week which will be organized by BGMEA on 12-18 November in Dhaka to promote Bangladesh and the RMG industry by showcasing its strengths and encouraging stories internationally.

Bangladesh and Sweden have considerable scope for deriving mutual benefits by strengthening and expanding collaboration in various potential areas of trade and investment, BGMEA said on Tuesday. Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Alex Berg von Linde met BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at his office and discussed possible avenues of boosting bilateral trade. They also discussed how Sweden could support the sustainable development of Bangladesh’s RMG industry which aims to amplify its efforts to pursue growth in a sustainable manner to have positive impacts on the people and the planet. Read: BGMEA, OCAIB willing to collaborate on supply chain management training At the meeting, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said the RMG industry aspires to enhance its competitiveness through diversifying products, upgrading technologies, adopting innovative production solutions and developing skills of workforce. He said, “While we are placing utmost importance to building our capacities, we are also equally giving priority to the issue of sustainability in the RMG industry. The industry’s growth vision is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. Sweden could support the industry in the areas of renewable energy, innovation, technology transfer and green growth, he opined. Faruque Hassan invited the envoy to the “Made in Bangladesh Week” which will be organized by BGMEA on 12-18 November this year to showcase the prospects and strengths of the RMG industry. Read:Bangladesh can be front-runner in adopting circularity in RMG: BGMEA Ambassador Alex Berg von Linde applauded the leadership role of Bangladesh’s RMG industry in environmental sustainability and expressed high optimism about extending cooperation of Sweden to the industry to pursue further strides in sustainability. BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin, Directors Haroon Ar Rashid, Rajiv Chowdhury, Mijanur Rahman, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Cash Incentive Humayun Kabir Salim, and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Schedule Bank Md. Israfil Atique were also present at the meeting.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan has sought the support of International Monetary Fund (IMF) in realizing the vision of the RMG industry, which in turn would contribute to the development of Bangladesh. A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by IMF Mission Chief for Bangladesh Rahul Anand paid a courtesy call on BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at BGMEA’s office in the city on Wednesday. The IMF team included Resident Representative in Dhaka Jayendu De, and Seniors Economists Ritu Basu and Estelle Xue Liu. Read:BGMEA, VUMI join hands to provide market-oriented skills to RMG executives BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Vice President Rakibul Alam Chowdhury and Directors Asif Ashraf and Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud were also present at the meeting. They discussed issues pertaining to the RMG industry of Bangladesh including its current situation, opportunities and strategies to meet future challenges and sustain growth.  The issue of possible impacts of Bangladesh’s LDC graduation in terms of tariff changes and market access was talked about.  BGMEA President Faruque Hassan apprised the IMF delegation about the renewed vision of BGMEA along with its new Nine Dot logo. He said BGMEA has set its sustainable strategic vision-2030 with an aim to pursue the growth of the RMG industry in a manner that is sustainable and positively impacts the economy, the environment and the lives of peoples. He said the industry has set a target of exporting apparels worth $100 billion by 2030 while creating employment for 6 million people in the apparel sector during the period by ensuring 100% gender equality, inclusiveness, and a decent workplace.

A delegation of Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Ltd met with BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at the latter’s office in Dhaka on Monday. The Huawei delegation included Pan Junfeng (Peter), Chief Executive Officer; Li Zongsheng (Jason), Board Member; Liang Weixing, Managing Director for Digital Power Business Group; and Rumman Iqbal Rony, Account Manager, Bangladesh Digital Power Business and Md Nur Alam, Account Manager, Bangladesh Digital Power Business. BGMEA Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin and Vice President of BKMEA Fazlee Shamim Ehsan were also present at the meeting. Read Huawei introduces versatile cloud solutions for telecom carriers They had discussions on possible collaboration between Huawei Technologies and BGMEA to increase renewable energy usage in the RMG industry of Bangladesh, particularly by using solar panels in the garment factories. The delegation gave an overview of their proposed OPEX and CAPEX model of implementing solar PV in the RMG industry especially for SMEs. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said the apparel industry of Bangladesh places utmost importance to sustainable growth and has continued its efforts to minimize the environmental cost of production and decoupling resource consumption. Read: Huawei Bangladesh to recruit 60 fresh graduates  As a result, Bangladesh’s RMG industry has secured the leading position with the highest number of green garment factories in the world, he added. He called on Huawei Technologies to bring innovative and cost-effective solar panels to garment factories at affordable prices.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan has briefed the visiting European Parliament's delegation members about the current situation of Bangladesh’s RMG industry, including its strides in the areas of workplace safety, environmental sustainability and workers’ rights and welfare. He also apprised them about the sustainable strategic vision of BGMEA unveiled recently with an aim to accelerate the growth of the RMG industry in a manner that is sustainable and positively impacts the economy, the environment and the lives of peoples. Faruque Hassan apprised them that the apparel industry is aligned with the government in implementing the road map developed by the government in collaboration with ILO to further improve in labor rights and welfare issues. Also read: BGMEA unveils new vision He said Bangladesh and the European Union have long been sharing friendly relationship which has grown stronger over times. Expressing thanks to the European Union for its support for the betterment of Bangladesh's apparel industry, Faruque Hassan hoped the EU will continue providing its support and cooperation to Bangladesh in the coming days, especially in the post-LDC era. The delegation of European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA) headed by Heidi Hautala, Chair, INTA delegation to Bangladesh, met with leaders of BGMEA in the city on Monday. The delegation included Members of the European Parliament -- Jose Manuel GARCIA-MARGALLO, Sven SIMON, Agnes JONGERIUS, Jordi CANAS PEREZ, and Maximilian KRAH. Martti KALAUS, Head of Unit, INTA Committee and Gabriel ALVAREZ RECARTE, Administrator, INTA Committee were also in the delegation. Also read: Envoy urges BGMEA to consider setting up joint ventures in Egypt Charles Whiteley, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh was also present at the meeting. BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin, Directors Haroon Ar Rashid, Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan, Executive President of BKMEA Mohammad Hatem, Vice President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, Vice President Md. Akhter Hossain Apurbo and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on ILO issue ANM Saifuddin were also present at the meeting.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has sought the support of the government in implementing the apparel industry's vision of sustainable development and growth.  BGMEA President Faruque Hassan made the call during his meeting with State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam Thursday. Faruque informed the state minister about the renewed vision of the BGMEA along with its new nine dot logo. The BGMEA recently unveiled its sustainable strategic vision to accelerate the growth of the readymade garments (RMG) industry in a way that is sustainable and positively impacts the economy, the environment and the lives of people. According to the Sustainable Strategic Vision 2030, the industry has set a target of exporting apparel worth $100 billion by 2030 while creating employment for 6 million people in the apparel sector during the period by ensuring 100 percent gender equality, inclusiveness, and a decent workplace. In line with sustainable development goals (SDGs), the industry aims to reduce carbon emissions, energy and groundwater usage, and increase the use of sustainable raw materials, use of ZDHC chemicals and renewable energy. Read: BGMEA unveils new vision Faruque said the renewed vision is aligned with the government's vision of sustainable development. He sought the government's support for the industry, especially in the areas of skill development, innovation and technology upgradation. Shamsul Alam congratulated the BGMEA on devising the strategic vision for sustainable development and assured of all-out support of the government for its implementation.