Different codes of conduct for different buyers and multiple audits for garment factories not only wastes time and money for organizations, but also complicates the audit process for organizations and makes compliance difficult. In order to make the industry sustainable, it is necessary to enact uniform codes of conduct and put together protocols for auditing factories.
In one such context, a meeting was held between Colin Brown, CEO of CASCEL (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition) and BGMEA leaders to work together on putting together protocols for formulating and auditing environmental and social integrated codes of conduct in the apparel industry.
In the meeting held at BGMEA Complex, Uttara on 15 July 2024, under the chairmanship of BGMEA President SM Mannan (Kochi), Vice President Abdullah Hill Rakib, Director Ashiqur Rahman (Tuhin), Director Shams Mahmud, Director Abrar Hossain Sayem, Director Md Mohiuddin Rubel, Director Shehrin Salaam Oishi.
The meeting specifically discussed the need for formulation of a unified code of conduct for social and technical audits universally accepted in the industry.
BGMEA President Kochi called upon CASCAL to take the initiative of formulating such an integrated code of conduct for the benefit of all stakeholders including buyers, manufacturers and workers worldwide. He said, without it, it will not be possible to make the industry sustainable in the long term.
The CEO of Caskel said, Bangladesh’s garment industry has made great progress but there is more to be done in the industry. Every one of us – everyone in the supply chain is going through challenges. By working together, BGMEA and CASCEL can take joint action to make the apparel industry sustainable and achieve the common goal of bringing positive change across the supply chain, ensuring a sustainable future for the industry.
The meeting also discussed possible areas of cooperation with special emphasis on capacity building of factories, information sharing, practices and innovative solutions for further development of the industry, compliance with upcoming regulations like Due Diligence Directive and enhancing worker welfare.
Note that Cascal is a global platform, under which there are more than 400 members including brands, NGOs. In the meeting, the CEO of Caskel agreed to establish BGMEA’s commitment to the members regarding the formulation of the Code of Conduct for the members under Caskel to come forward in this regard.
Both parties agreed that CASCEL will provide training on the Code of Conduct at the factory level, so as to increase the capacity of the factories to comply with these issues.
