The ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh is committed to continue its efforts to minimize the environmental cost of production and decoupling resource consumption, said Faruque Hassan, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Bangladesh RMG sector has made remarkable strides in the area of environmental sustainability, securing the leading position with the highest number of green garment factories in the world and is putting consistent efforts in that direction, he said.
He made the observations while speaking as chief guest at a roundtable titled ‘Industrial Rainwater Harvesting- A Sustainable Approach to Water Management,’ organised jointly by BGMEA and WaterAid at The Westin Dhaka on Tuesday.
The program aimed to initiate dialogue on the business case for industrial sustainable water management focusing on rainwater harvesting system. The discussion explored potential opportunities, challenges, and solutions for sustainable supply chains and environmental impacts, as well as sharing examples of rainwater harvesting practices in garment factories.
Ms Hasin Jahan, Country Director, WaterAid, was present on the occasion as the guest of honor. Partha Hefaz Shaikh, Director, Policy & Advocacy, WaterAid, chaired the event and delivered the welcome note. Abrar Hossain Sayem, President, Bangladesh Apparel Youth Leaders Association – BAYLA was present among the guests.
In his address at the roundtable, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, “We have 157 green factories certified by the USGBC of which 47 are platinum rated, 96 Gold rated. 40 out of the global top 100 factories are located in Bangladesh. Around 500 more factories are waiting to be certified.”
“These green factories are equipped with all the eco-friendly features which reduce carbon emission by around 40% and minimizes water consumptions 40-50% than conventional buildings,” he said.
The green factories ensure thermal comfort of the workers and state-of-the-art hygiene, use daylight, have rainwater harvesting system and maintain indoor air quality as per ASHRE standard that maximizes workers physical and mental health and productivity.
Faruque Hassan said Bangladesh is blessed with monsoon raining, and rainwater is considered as green water.
“This context and the potential rainwater storage during the monsoon period have driven innovation in apparel industry as well. We now see a lot of RMG manufacturing unit giving Rainwater a priority during the development,” he remarked.
BGMEA as a progressive association have shifted their perspective on sustainable water resource management and actively encouraging factories to adopt rainwater harvesting, he added.
Hasin Jahan, Country Director of WaterAid said, “To solve the impending water crisis that is depleting the groundwater rainwater should be everyone’s business. An open rooftop with ample spacing can be a sustainable solution and can be paramount to solving the growing water needs for businesses. With the concerted effort from all sectors, rainwater harvesting can fulfill the basic requirement of water and help protect our scare water resources. WaterAid is committed to working with businesses and private sector to fast-track efforts towards water security and environment.”
Abrar Hossain Sayem, President, BAYLA said, “Many smart industries put their footprint in the sustainability and water saving process. The industries are adopting rainwater harvesting to reduce the dependency on groundwater to tackle future catastrophes. The young people are the potentials drivers for the economic and social progress of the country. So, it is essential to promote RWH among the youth so that they can become youth advocates for RWH and make a positive impact to reduce water crises in the future.”
In recent times, Bangladesh’s RMG factories and textile industries are leading in implementing green policies by introducing rainwater harvesting systems. Their sustainable approach to water management in business practices is creating much-needed positive impacts on the environment.
