BGMEA welcomes Walt Disney's move to reinstate Bangladesh as sourcing country

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has welcomed Walt Disney's move to reinstate Bangladesh as a permitted sourcing country.

Terming this move of Walt Disney as a timely initiative, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said it is a recognition of Bangladesh’s all-out progress and transformation in the industry, particularly in the area of workplace safety, social standards and environmental sustainability.

The Walt Disney Company stopped sourcing from Bangladesh in 2013 amid the fire and building collapse disasters, has considered including the country in its permitted sourcing country list with International Labour Standards (ILS) audits, according to a BGMEA press release issued on Friday.

Factories participating in the International Labour Organization’s Better Work Bangladesh program will be entitled to become a vendor, while they need to participate in the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) along with specific remediation fulfilment criteria, said BGMEA.

Over the past years, the industry has made unprecedented efforts and investments to ensure safety covering fire, electrical and structural integrity and a robust follow up of factory remediation to create a culture of safety while promoting the wellbeing of the workers.

The entire safety transformation program was supported and facilitated by the Government of Bangladesh, ILO, international brands, manufacturers and the global unions in a transparent manner.

The Hong Kong based supply chain compliance solutions provider ‘QIMA’ ranked Bangladesh as the second-highest Ethical Manufacturing country in its recent report ‘QIMA Q1 2021 Barometer’.

The rating included performance against parameters like hygiene, health and safety, child and young labour, labour practices including forced labour, worker representation, disciplinary practices and discrimination, working hours and wages, and waste management.

The study was conducted at a time when Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the global fashion industry and supply chain and maintaining such a level of compliance testifies BGMEA's resilience and commitment.

In addition, the progress made in the areas of cleaner and greener manufacturing testifies the industry's commitment and actions toward building a sustainable supply chain, the release said.