BGMEA
Bangladesh, Indonesia need to work together as partners: BGMEA chief
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has said Bangladesh and Indonesia need to view each other as comprehensive friends and partners and expand collaboration to prosper together.
During his meeting with Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Heru Hartanto Subolo on Sunday, the BGMEA chief said collaborative engagement is needed to identify the opportunities and ways to realise them.
BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Director Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Shams Mahmud were also present at the courtesy meeting held at the embassy.
They discussed various trade-related issues with special emphasis on possible avenues of collaboration between Bangladesh and Indonesia to unlock mutual trade potential.
They also talked about how both countries can complement each other for the development of the RMG and textile industry.
Bangladesh’s RMG sector has attached due importance to diversification of products, especially high-value non-cotton apparels and technical textiles, according to the BGMEA.
Read: BGMEA chief appraises US govt officials about the significant strides made by RMG industry
While the Indonesian textile sector can meet the demand of Bangladesh’s RMG sector for man-made fibre, Indonesia can import ready-made garments from Bangladesh, said the BGMEA chief.
It would create a win-win situation for both countries, he added.
The BGMEA President invited the Ambassador to the “Made in Bangladesh Week” and also Indonesian RMG and textile businessmen to participate in the weeklong event.
BGMEA in partnership with Bangladesh Apparel Exchange will organise the mega event in Dhaka on November 12-18 this year to promote the apparel industry of Bangladesh globally and showcase its strengths.
BGMEA seeks uninterrupted energy supply by special arrangements
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has requested the government to make special arrangements to ensure uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity to the export-oriented factories in an effort to keep production unhurt.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan made the request recognizing the energy crisis globally and its impact domestically including on the readymade garment industry.
He was speaking at a press conference at the BGMEA Complex which was arranged to brief the media about the “Made in Bangladesh Week.”
Read: BGMEA for shoring up Bangladesh-India interactions in apparel, textile
BGMEA Vice President Md. Shahidullah Azim, Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam and its Directors were present.
“Made in Bangladesh Week” will be organized by the BGMEA in partnership with Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) on November 12-18 to showcase the impressive stories of Bangladesh apparel industry as well as its continuous strive to pursue excellence.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to open the “Made in Bangladesh Week” on November 13.
The BGMEA President said the industry witnessed uninterrupted growth over the last one year – August 2021 to August 2022.
“We are observing with concern that the work orders have gradually been declining,” the BGMEA chief said, adding that the work orders have come down by 20-30 percent for the next season due to inflation and likely recession in Bangladesh’s two major export markets – Europe and the United States.
Faruque Hassan said the retailers have been struggling to adapt with the growing inflation and many brands are witnessing a declining trend of sales which ultimately increased their unsold stocks.
“Considering all these things, our exports might witness a negative trend in the coming months,” said the BGMEA chief.
Read: BGMEA seeks Netherlands' support for Bangladesh's smooth LDC graduation
The government imposed 1 percent source tax on export profits for the current fiscal. The BGMEA chief requested the government to keep it like the previous year (0.5 per cent).
The week-long initiative will present physical events comprising summits, expositions, exhibitions, awards, factory tours, cultural shows and networking.
It is a signature event of Bangladesh which is the world’s second largest apparel exporting country. The country exports ‘Made in Bangladesh’ apparel to over 160 countries in the world.
The ‘Made in Bangladesh Week’ aims to bring under one roof all the stakeholders of Bangladesh apparel industry to initiate collaborations as well as discuss prospects and roadmap for the future.
In addition, the event will work towards a collective promise of promoting sustainability and responsible business.
The week, alongside showcasing the strength of the country’s apparel industry, aims to identify future priorities and scopes of collaboration among the stakeholders to ensure Bangladesh remains as a preferred destination for global apparel sourcing, BGMEA said.
Made in Bangladesh Week will be a milestone event for Bangladesh apparel industry, it said.
Recognizing the importance of strengthening Bangladesh’s presence in the global fashion market and to initiate a greater collaboration with the global stakeholders for sustainable manufacturing and sourcing, BGMEA and BKMEA pursued IAF to organize the 37th World Fashion Convention in Bangladesh.
IAF has agreed to that proposition and the 37th World Fashion Convention will be hosted in Bangladesh in collaboration with BGMEA and BKMEA during 12-15 November 2022 at Radisson BLU Dhaka.
BGMEA for shoring up Bangladesh-India interactions in apparel, textile
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has emphasised shoring up business interactions between apparel and textile exporters of Bangladesh and India to open up windows of trade opportunities.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said Bangladesh and India could also collaborate in terms of exchange of knowledge and expertise on innovation, product development, especially man-made fibre-based products as Bangladesh is increasingly focusing on these areas.
Rahul Mehta, chief mentor of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), paid a courtesy visit to the BGMEA president in Dhaka Sunday.
Read: BGMEA, IICCI, Sowtex team up to make textile sourcing easier for Bangladesh
They discussed issues related to the apparel industry, especially potential avenues of collaboration between Bangladesh and India to complement each other for the development of the apparel industry in both countries.
Rahul invited the BGMEA members to participate in the upcoming Fabrics Accessories and Beyond – The CMAI Fab Show in India's Mumbai during September 19-21.
Faruque hoped that the trade show would bring manufacturers and exporters of both countries closer, paving the way to derive mutual trade benefits.
BGMEA seeks Netherlands' support for Bangladesh's smooth LDC graduation
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has sought the support of the Netherlands through the extension of the transition period for Bangladesh's smooth LDC graduation.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan met with Birgitta Tazelaar, deputy director general for international cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in Dhaka Wednesday.
Read: Bangladesh’s LDC graduation: Govt has its plan to face next challenges
They also talked about potential areas of further collaboration between Bangladesh and the Netherlands – especially in the area of sustainability – for the development of the apparel industry.
BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim; directors Barrister Shehrin Salam Oishee, Haroon Ar Rashid, Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan, Neela Hosna Ara and Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Chair Shams Mahmud were present at the meeting.
Dutch Ambassador Anne Gerard van Leeuwen and Bas Blaauw, first secretary at the Netherlands mission in Dhaka, also joined it.
RMG: BGMEA, Jeanologia to collaborate on promoting green technologies
Jeanologia, a globally renowned textile technology manufacturer, will join hands with BGMEA to support Bangladesh’s RMG industry in adopting innovative technologies and processes to become more efficient and sustainable.
The commitment to collaboration was expressed when the founder and CEO of Jeanologia Enrique Silla met BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at the latter’s office in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Managing Director of Denim Expert Ltd Mostafiz Uddin, Country Director-Bangladesh Tarin Choudhury and Division Director CEA Manuj Kanchan were also present on the occasion.
Jeanologia will provide support to the Centre of Innovation Efficiency and OSH with the technical know-how of the latest textile technologies and processes for dissemination across the RMG industry of Bangladesh.
The Centre, established by BGMEA, aims to support the RMG industry with knowledge, skills and technical knowledge to face future challenges and enhance its competitiveness.
Read: Bangladesh's RMG one of the front-runners in sustainability marathon: BGMEA
Faruque Hassan said the collaboration with Jeanologia has come as a part of BGMEA’s commitment and constant efforts to pursue the growth of the RMG industry in a sustainable way that has a positive impact on people and the planet.
He said, “The global apparel industry consumes a huge amount of freshwater mostly extracted from the ground. Globally leading apparel brands are focusing on reducing water consumption in the process of manufacturing garments. BGMEA has pledged to reduce dependency on groundwater resources and diversify source mix.”
In its strategic vision, BGMEA has set a target to reduce its water footprint up to 50 per cent by 2030. In its continuous journey to achieve excellence in sustainability adopting such eco-friendly technologies are imperative, Faruque Hassan added.
Enrique Silla, Jeanologia CEO, said water will be the main cost driver in near future, so by helping Bangladesh to become a water-less textile hub we will align both the planet and the economical the interest of our customers which are BGMEA associates.
Jeanologia has invented some ground-breaking washing technologies that reduce the water footprint of products and eventually lessen the pollution load on the aquatic ecosystem.
Bangladesh's RMG one of the front-runners in sustainability marathon: BGMEA
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Vice-President Shahidullah Azim has said the country's apparel industry has become front-runners in the marathon of sustainability, "a core area of concern in the global business landscape."
"Bangladesh has the highest number of green factories in the world, with 168 LEED Green factories certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), 50 of which are rated Platinum, with 550 more factories in the pipeline. Moreover, 40 out of the top 100 industrial projects in the world are in Bangladesh," he added.
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"A major demographic of the global consumer is now concerned about sustainable consumption and production, especially the environmental footprint of the product they buy. The BGMEA has proactively taken the issue of sustainability to the core of its strategic vision."
Bangladesh a preferred choice of global apparel buyers for world-class safety, sustainability: BGMEA
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Vice President Shahidullah Azim on Saturday said the world-class workplace safety along with remarkable achievements of the RMG industry in the area of sustainability made Bangladesh a preferred choice of global buyers for sourcing garments.
“With unprecedented initiatives involving the government, ILO, brands, buyers, and efforts and invest by entrepreneurs, the RMG industry of Bangladesh has made exemplary achievements in ensuring workplace safety in the RMG industry covering fire, electrical and structural integrity in a transparent manner, earning global praise and recognition,” he said.
The BGMEA Vice President said this while speaking as a special guest at the launching ceremony of the 8th International Fire and Safety and Security Expo 2022 organized by the Electronic Safety and Security Association of Bangladesh (ESSAB) in the city.
Also read: BGMEA wants industry-academia collaboration to tackle future challenges
Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin attended the programme as the chief guest.
Vice President of FBCCI Md. Amin Helaly was also present at the program which was chaired by President of ESSAB Zahir Uddin Babar.
Shahidullah Azim said the apparel industry has gone through extraordinary challenges and successfully overcome them, even bounce back even stronger every time.
“Alongside workplace safety, Bangladesh has the highest number of green garment factories with 167 factories LEED certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). While we are proud of our outstanding achievements in the area of workplace safety and environmental sustainability, we are also committed to making efforts to sustain the accomplishments,” he said.
Also read: RMG export growth to be affected by fuel price hike: BGMEA President
Shahidullah Azim laid emphasis on the production of safety equipment in Bangladesh maintaining international standards.
He thanked ESSAB for consistently organizing the international Fire Safety and Security Expo as it brings safety equipment suppliers, professionals and users under one roof for fruitful interactions.
It plays a significant role in showcasing the latest fire safety equipment and knowledge to the industries, thus raising awareness among the industries, he further said.
The 8th Fire Safety and Security Expo will be held from November 24 to 26 at Bangabandhu International Convention Center (BICC) where world-famous safety equipment brands will participate.
BGMEA wants industry-academia collaboration to tackle future challenges
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Acting President Shahidullah Azim has said industry-academia collaboration is imperative to meet the future challenges of the apparel industry, especially in the context of fast fashion and disruptive technologies.
Partnerships between the industry and academia would be instrumental in producing a qualified and competent workforce for the industry, he added.
The BGMEA acting president was speaking at the programme "Towards a Meaningful Industry-Academia Partnership: A Talk on RMG sector's impact on Bangladesh's Rapid Growth and Future Prospects" organised by the Department of Marketing and International Business of the North South University (NSU) Wednesday.
Read: RMG export growth to be affected by fuel price hike: BGMEA President
The business dynamics in the fashion industry is changing rapidly where the use of technologies is increasing to meet the changing demand of consumers for diversified fashionable products.
"The industry-academia linkage is important because our growth depends on our ability to move to diversified products which require complex skills. The job market has to be ready with the required skills to meet contemporary production techniques, product sophistication and fashion trends," Shahidullah said.
"From the BGMEA we have also taken several initiatives and one such initiative is the internship programme which will start soon. We would love to collaborate with NSU to involve young talents and let them calibrate their capabilities with the needs and pace of the industry."
Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, dean of the School of Business and Economics, Professor ABM Rashedul Hassan, treasurer, Mohammad Tayeenul Hoque, chairman of the Department of Marketing and International Business, Ishrat Jahan Synthia, senior lecturer at Department of Marketing and International Business, of NSU were also present.
BGMEA, Kuhu to take Bangladeshi culture, heritage to global arena with garments
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with noted fashion designer Kuhu Plamondon to explore the opportunity of exporting garments linking rich culture and heritage of Bangladesh with fashion.
On behalf of the BGMEA, its President Faruque Hassan inked the agreement which aims to collaborate on developing high-end fashionable garments blending local culture and heritage and taking them to global customers, said the BGMEA on Saturday.
BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan, Md. Imranur Rahman and Neela Hosa Ara were also present at the MoU signing ceremony.
Also read: BGMEA participates in Texworld to explore opportunities in US market
As per the understanding, BGMEA and Kuhu Plamondon will collaborate to inspire the embedding of Bangladesh’s culture and sourcing materials to produce high-end products.
The collaboration aims to build capacity building of the local weavers so that they can use their craftsmanship to design international standard apparel maintaining the quality.
It will explore the usage of indigenous materials for manufacturing export-oriented apparels.
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The art and culture, symbol, motif, color etc. of Bangladesh will be embodied into the apparel so that it can be used to explore the untapped business opportunities.
The usage of sustainable and natural materials in the design and manufacturing will be promoted so that it can fulfill the increasing demand of eco-consciousness among the western buyers.
BGMEA and Kuhu Plamondon will jointly work to develop an iconic brand image of Bangladesh to aid the export of Bangladeshi culture.
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BGMEA and Kuhu Plamondon will jointly organize workshop for garment factories and local artisans to impart training on developing designs where local textiles and motifs will be used to create a line of fashionable clothing to fit the new generation.
The collections will be promoted, particularly through fashion show and exhibitions, buyers’ presentation and digital marketing to create brand awareness.
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BGMEA participates in Texworld to explore opportunities in US market
A delegation of BGMEA comprising leading apparel exporters from Bangladesh have participated in an international trade exhibition -- Texworld USA Summer 2022 – to explore more business opportunities in the USA market.
Texworld USA, one of the largest sourcing events for suppliers, buyers, designers, merchandisers and overseas sourcing professionals, was held in New York on July 19-21, said the BGMEA on Saturday.
The international exhibition offers a wide product range covering the entire fabric spectrum.
Also read: Canadian Trade Union delegation calls on BGMEA President
From casual cotton to function fabrics and sophisticated knits to intricate laces, season-to-season attendees discover textiles of innovative structures, material mixes and surprising color palettes.
The delegation headed by BGMEA Vice President Shahiduallh Azim showcased the strengths of Bangladesh’s RMG industry in the fair, especially its growing importance on manufacturing diversified products including value-added apparels made from non-cotton and technical textiles.
Ambassador of Bangladesh to the USA M Shahidul Islam visited Bangladeshi stalls in the exhibition where he assured the delegation of cooperation of the embassy in exploring business opportunities in the USA market.
Also read: BGMEA wants faster, smoother security clearance services for RMG
BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim said that Bangladesh has huge scope to increase its share of apparel exports to the US market.
Participation of Bangladeshi exporters in the international trade exhibitions like Texworld, will help to connect with the prospective buyers in the US market and beyond and seize the opportunities.