In the first five months of 2024, Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) industry has achieved a significant milestone in sustainable fashion, with 12 factories earning LEED certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a globally recognized green building rating system that emphasizes environmental responsibility and energy efficiency. This recent accomplishment brings Bangladesh's total to 218 LEED-certified green factories, underscoring the country's commitment to green initiatives within the garment sector, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Director Mohiuddin Rubel. RMG Sustainability Council holds meeting to discuss issues affecting industry Of the 218 certified factories, 84 have achieved the highest, platinum rating, 120 have earned gold, 10 silver, and 4 are certified, as reported by the BGMEA. In the first five months of 2024, eight of the newly certified factories received the platinum rating, while the remaining four were awarded gold. Notable performers include S.M. Sourcing with 106 points and Green Textiles Limited Unit 4 with 104 points. Other high scorers include Integra Dresses and Knit Asia Limited, both achieving 99 points, Remi Holdings Ltd with 97 points, and Fatullah Apparels, also scoring 97 points. Bangladesh’s achievement positions the country as a leader in the global sustainable fashion movement, with 56 out of the 100 LEED-certified green factories worldwide located here, according to BGMEA. This includes 9 of the top 10 and 18 of the top 20 LEED-certified factories globally, based on BGMEA data. RMG exports up by almost 5pc in FY 2023-24 The geographic distribution of these certifications within Bangladesh illustrates the RMG industry's widespread commitment to sustainability. By proactively achieving LEED ratings, Bangladesh's garments industry is setting a benchmark for environmental stewardship, positioning the country as a key player in the global push for more sustainable manufacturing practices.

Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) organised a national competition titled 'Bikiron' to create awareness among university students about energy efficiency and conservation and encourage them in conceiving innovative ideas.   The closing ceremony of Bikiron was held on Thursday.SREDA organised the completion in cooperation with Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme(REEEP II). The event with Mohammad Alauddin, Chairman, SREDA in the chair, was also addressed by Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, as chief guest while Habibur Rahman, Secretary, Power Division, Satyajit Karmaker, Chairman (Secretary), Bangladesh Energy & Power Research Council (BEPRC) and  Johannes Schneider, Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dhaka, spoke on the occasion as special guests. Read: Sreda launches help desk to provide one-stop service on rooftop solar The Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing REEEP II on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. SREDA has been taking various initiatives to spread awareness on energy efficiency and conservation. As part of Mujib Borsho celebrations, SREDA launched a nationwide awareness campaign titled "ShasroyeJalani, Shomriddho agami (save energy, brighten your future)". Bikiron was organised as part of this campaign. Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the competition on September 9. Innovative solutions were invited through www.bikiron.orgfrom university students on three categories: increasing energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings (Energy-Smart Buildings), improving quality of life using sustainable energy technology in rural areas (Energy-Smart Villages), and making children and adolescents aware of energy conservation (Energy-Smart Children). The teams had the opportunity to further strengthen their ideas with the help of renowned experts from the sustainable energy sector. Three webinars for each category were organised for their capacity development. Read:Sreda, BGMEA sign deal for rooftop solar power promotion in RMG sector  More than 100 teams from universities across Bangladesh submitted their ideas. After a rigorous screening process, 23 teams made it to the final round. On November 11, they presented the ideas to a jury board comprised of public and private sector experts and academia. The winners were announced on the same day. The winning teams pitched their ideas to the audience during the event. From a cooling solution for coastal fisherman, to an innovative metering system for buildings, and a proposal for creating an energy toolkit for children – the ideas were diverse and received appreciation of the audience. The ten winning teams of the competition were handed over awards and certificates during the event.The closing ceremony was organised to recognize these young aspiring innovators, and also to provide them guidance in their entrepreneurial journey. Sonia Bashir Kabir, Founder, SBK Tech Ventures and Koen Everaert, Team Leader, Green Inclusive Development and Social Protection, EU Delegation spoke about the challenges and opportunities in taking a sustainable energy idea from ideation to implementation from a Bangladeshi and Global Perspective respectively.

Only one out of 150 candidates fulfilled the eligibility criteria for being energy auditor, in an examination of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda). Such experience was shared by BUET Prof Dr Mohammad Zahirul Haque at a webinar organised by Energy and Power magazine on Saturday. The exam was held by Sreda last year just before the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country to appoint independent energy auditors. Dr Haque said although most of the candidates were BUET students, they forgot how to calculate the efficiency in energy use. The virtual seminar, tiled “Energy Efficiency Opportunities in RMG & Textile Industry”, was also addressed, among others by Prime Minister’s Energy Advisor Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Sreda Chairman Mohammad Alauddin, President of Bangladesh Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Dr Rubana Huq, energy expert Prof Nurul Islam, former president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Asif Ibrahim and Idcol’s chief financial officer Nazmul Haque. Energy and Power editor Mollah Amzad Hossain conducted the seminar. Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi said the government entities should hear from the industry owners to remove their bottlenecks in pursuing their energy efficiency mechanism. “There should be proper coordination between Sreda, banks and industry owners so that the industry operators can easily avail the low-cost loans for making their industries energy efficient. Mohammad Alauddin said setting up Sreda itself reflects the government’s good intention to promote energy efficiency. He said Sreda has so far conducted energy auditing at 12 industries in the country and their results will be released soon through a publication. Sreda member Farzana Momtaz, who made the keynote presentation, said the readymade garment sector can reduce their energy cost by 16 percent if they pursue energy efficiency mechanism. It will reduce their cost and they will derive most benefits from global market being treated as green industry owners, she said. Rubana said although there is no adequate government support for energy efficiency, the garment sector itself made progress turning many of their industries into efficient. Some seven green factories, out of 10 which were recognised as most energy efficient across the globe, belong to Bangladesh, she said adding that so far 130 industries were converted into green industries and some 500 are now in the line of turning into efficient industries. She said the government incentives for such initiative are very inadequate. Prof Nurul Islam said the successful case industries of the energy efficiency should be published so that others can be encouraged to see the success. Asif Ibrahim said the government has to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks in providing support to the industries to make them efficient.

Bangladesh and Germany have identified five areas of cooperation, including renewable energy and energy efficiency, between the two countries. The other four areas of interventions of German-Bangladesh mutual cooperation are sustainable urban development, good governance, displacement and migration, and sustainable supply chains in the textile sector. These were identified at the Bangladesh-German Development Cooperation Negotiations 2020 that completed recently with new commitments of Euro 339.54 million. The overall amount since 1972 reaches Euro 3.03 billion, said the German Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the negotiations were held virtually recently. The delegation of Bangladesh was headed by Dr Gauranga Chandra Mohantandc, Additional Secretary and Wing Chief, Europe Wing, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance. The delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany was headed by Dr Ute Heinbuch, Head of Division “Policy Issues of Cooperation with Asia, South Asia” in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Hammerschmidt, Commissioner for Asia, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development delivered the welcome address. For the Government of Bangladesh, Fatima Yasmin, Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance, made the opening remarks. The negotiations took place in a friendly atmosphere of constructive cooperation. Both parties discussed issues of development cooperation including environment, climate change, human rights and good governance. Germany provides further assistance for forcibly displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingya refugees) camps and surrounding host communities with Euro 19 million. The two delegations had an open and fruitful exchange of views on ongoing projects and programmes in the field of Financial and Technical Cooperation as well as on future development cooperation. In addition, support to integrated management of the Sundarbans mangroves and the marine protected area ‘Swatch of No Ground’ was agreed. Also read: Bangladesh needs better-trained manpower as it grows: Germany

Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) has tied up with Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority(BEZA) to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) and all other economic zones across the country.