Staff Reporter :
The country’s ready-made garment industry 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).
The 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 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.
Speaking at the discussion, 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 per cent and minimizes water consumptions 40-50 per cent 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.
“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,” she said.
Partha Hefaz Shaikh, Director of Policy & Advocacy of WaterAid, chaired the event and delivered the welcome note and Abrar Hossain Sayem, President of Bangladesh Apparel Youth Leaders Association, among others, spoke at the roundtable.
