Two more factories have been certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) with both receiving Gold ratings and thus taking the total number of LEED factories to 202 in the country.
Out of the number, 73 earned the prestigious Platinum rating, 115 Gold and 10 Silver rating.
In 2022, Bangladesh had the highest number of factories being LEED certified in a single year, said BGMEA president Faruque Hassan in a statement.
He said with 30 factories receiving LEED certification in 2022, 15 were Platinum and 15 Gold certified. Fast forward to August 2023, another 20 factories have earned this coveted recognition in eight months of this year, with 13 achieving the esteemed Platinum rating and seven attaining the Gold rating.
Faruque said Bangladesh's RMG industry reached the landmark of 200 LEED-certified factories by USGBC last month while the country made a distinction being the home to 13 of 15 globally highest-rated LEED Green Factories.
"Among these, one stands out as the highest-rated LEED Green Factory globally. 500 more factories are in the pipeline to get the certification as it is happening gradually," he said.
The BGMEA president said Bangladesh's RMG industry has made all-out efforts with commitment and determination to become sustainable in every respect, especially in workplace safety, workers' wellbeing and environmental areas.
"The unparalleled green transformation is a testament to our visionary entrepreneurship showing resilience, flexibility, mindset toward positive changes and capability to adapt," he added.
He said this international recognition not only highlights the dedication but also showcases the country's potential as a leader in sustainable manufacturing practices.
"The perception about the industry among the global community has changed significantly," he said, adding that Bangladesh is no longer known as a producer of basic items and workplace hazards.
In the past decade, garment manufacturers laid a strong foundation in workplace safety, transparency and developing an ecosystem to support growth. The BGMEA in this regard has taken a strategic vision for 2030 which is firmly rooted in sustainability involving economic, social and environmental priorities.
"We're making our association, BGMEA, as a futuristic organisation. We established a Center for Innovation, Center for Efficiency and Center for OSH to foster innovation in every segment of the trade," he said.
Faruque said the BGMEA has also established the Textile Technology Business Center (TTBC), an offspring of the Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) project that serves as a knowledge hub on resource efficiency, and business-to-business linkages with local and international technology suppliers.
It helps the factories to decarbonise and adopt resource efficiency measures to reduce climate footprint. "We established the Responsible Business Hub Unit in BGMEA to strengthen the capacities of our manufacturers to adapt and comply with the globally emerging due diligence. We're establishing a digital data platform to baseline and monitor improvements of ESG practices at factories," he continued.
Faruque said in recent times, a good number of international customers visited Bangladesh with a topmost delegation from their organisations. "They expressed their deep satisfaction on the progress we made and informed their position to further grow sourcing from Bangladesh," he added.
The BGMEA president also believed that Bangladesh going forward would continue to focus on its core accomplishments which have placed the country uniquely in the global apparel marketplace.
