Cleaner production can boost Bangladesh garment sector

19 Dec '12

2 min read

Adoption of cleaner production techniques can help the Bangladesh apparel industry save about US$ 150 million each year, an official of International Finance Corporation (IFC)-South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) has said.

Presenting a paper on 'Cleaner Production for the Bangladesh Textile Sector' during a seminar on 'Environment Friendly and Resource Efficient Production: the Context of Textile and Clothing Industry' Naureen Chowdhury, Associate Operations Officer of IFC-SEDF said it is a proven fact that factories which have introduced cleaner production techniques have succeeded in enhancing output even with lesser resources.

The seminar was jointly organized by the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), GIZ and INTERTEK.

Urging the garment unit owners to economically use water and energy, Dr. Ainun Nishat, Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University and a well-known environmentalist, said buyers would move out to other countries if Bangladeshi industry falls short in complying with global standards.

Tagging apparel industry as the vertebrae of national economy, he called on the apparel unit owners to act positively to make all units in the sector environment-friendly by fixing their own standards rather than waiting for global pressure to set the same. He said, solutions are available within the country and also there are donors who are ready to help RMG unit owners.

Dr. Nishat even noted that a number of apparel factories lack proper structures and designs, which is the root cause of frequent fire incidences endangering the lives of workers.

Highlighting the importance of the apparel industry, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan said the sector is an important source of foreign exchange generation and also employment.

He said time has ripened to ensure resource efficient production through installation of effluent treatment plant (ETPs) in all the units in the industry.

Pointing to the recent fire incident at Tazreen Fashions factory, wherein over 110 workers lost their lives, he said factory owners should take immediate steps to avert occurrence of any such mishaps in future.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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