A delegation from the Netherlands government has visited the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), and met with President SM Mannan Kochi to explore collaborative opportunities for propelling sustainable development of this industry.
The delegation comprised of First Secretary of Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Bangladesh Sara van Hoeve, Desk officer for Bangladesh in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Lichelle Fisser.
Private Sector Development Officer, Netherlands Enterprise Agency Nadia van de Weem, and Senior Policy Advisor, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh Tanzila Tajreen were also part of the delegation, reads a press release.
BGMEA Vice President Abdullah Hil Rakib coordinated the meeting, whereas Vice President Miran Ali, directors Shovon Islam, Md Ashikur Rahman (Tuhin) and Shams Mahmud delved into different issues pertinent to the ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh.
The meeting primarily focused on identifying potential collaboration areas, particularly environmental sustainability initiatives such as circular fashion, recycling, and energy efficiency within the RMG sector.
Discussions also revolved around facilitating knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and access to finance – particularly for small and medium enterprises – to support the sector in becoming more energy and resource efficient, recycling and other environmental areas.
The BGMEA leaders provided an overview of the RMG industry, highlighting its current priorities and efforts towards ensuring a sustainable future.
They elaborated on industry initiatives including technology up-gradation, innovation, digitisation, and product diversification to remain competitive in the face of changing global market dynamics.
BGMEA expressed their gratitude to the Netherlands government for its support towards the country’s RMG industry, especially the Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) program which has assisted participating factories in minimising their water footprint.
The importance of such sustainability-focused initiatives was emphasised in order to further augment the RMG industry's competitiveness in Bangladesh.
