Midland Bank organises workshop on capacity building for textile and apparel businesses

Midland Bank PLC recently organised a capacity-building workshop entitled "Capacity Building of Textile and Apparel Businesses in Bangladesh under the Green Supply Chain Transition Programme", held at Hotel Bengal Blueberry in Gulshan-2, Dhaka.

Supported by the Global Supply Chain Support Fund, the initiative was jointly spearheaded by Aavishkaar Capital, India, and KfW, the German Development Bank, according to a press release.

Compliance officers representing various textile and apparel clients of the bank participated in the session, which was facilitated by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) experts from Intellecap and its initiative, the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF).

The workshop centred on pressing issues such as environmental and social compliance, the evolving demands of global brands particularly within the European Union and the United States and the expectations around reporting standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Md Ahsan-uz Zaman, managing director and CEO of the bank, attended the event as the chief guest.

In his address, Zaman remarked, "The future of the clothing and garment sector transcends fashion; it is increasingly defined by responsibility, transparency, and transformation."

"Now is the time to invest in clean technologies and efficient systems, uphold fair and ethical labour practices throughout our factories, and adopt global standards such as GRI and SBTi, not as a burden, but as a strategic roadmap towards a sustainable and competitive future," he added.

Commenting on the collaboration, Abhishek Mittal, partner-credit at Aavishkaar Capital, noted, "This partnership between Aavishkaar's Global Supply Chain Support Fund, Intellecap, and Midland Bank represents a timely and significant stride in enhancing the ESG preparedness of Bangladesh's textile suppliers."

Among others, Md Zahid Hossain, deputy managing director of the bank; Mohd Javed Tarek Khan, head of institutional banking division; Khondkar Towfique Hossain, head of international division and NRB; Maruf Haider, executive vice-president and head of institutional banking division; and Sushanta Sekhar Deb, head of treasury and market risk (front), were also present.