18 garment factories awarded

A total of 18 garment factories were awarded for their extraordinary performance in attaining social and environmental sustainability as well as adoption of innovative practices in the textile sector of Bangladesh. 

The awards were presented in three categories -- "Social Compliance", "Environmental Excellence" and "Innovation" -- which were further divided into nine subcategories.

The "Social Compliance" award winners excelled in women empowerment at the workplace, social initiatives in factory neighbourhoods and overall social setup.

The "Environmental Excellence" award was achieved by factories that led in water efficiency, recycling of textile waste materials or had an overall environment safeguarding setup. In addition, innovative practices were rewarded.

The subcategories included innovations for business development, worker welfare and the future.

Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury handed over the awards to the winners at International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka.

Faruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said Bangladesh was globally acclaimed for its exemplary strides in workplace safety and leadership role in ensuring sustainability in the garment industry.

"We are proud to have the highest number of LEED certified green garment factories in the world," he said.

"We are committed to making every possible effort to promote sustainability in the RMG industry of Bangladesh and take the sector to newer heights," Hassan said.

"I believe that while the Sustainability Leadership (TSL) award recognises the best practices…it will inspire others to adopt sustainable practices to strengthen the image of Made in Bangladesh in the global market as modern, safe, and green," he said.

Michael Klode, project manager, Textile Cluster, GIZ Bangladesh, acknowledged the successes achieved by stakeholders of the textile sector and underlined the commitment of German development cooperation towards establishing sustainability practices in Bangladesh.

"Germany, ranking as number 1 importing country of textile Made in Bangladesh in the EU, is committed to continue supporting compliant factories alongside our partners," he said.

"Our TSL award winners, the frontrunners of a thriving sector, are lighting the way ahead," he said.

The presentation of the TSL awards were a part of the Made in Bangladesh Week 2022 celebrating the country's textiles.

The award was jointly organised by the BGMEA and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, which is supporting the German government in facilitating international cooperation for sustainable development.

The winners are Vintage Denim Studio, Ananta Garments, Epyllion Knitwear, Envoy Textiles, Color City, Matin Spinning Mills, SIMCO Spinning and Textiles, KARUPANNYA Rangpur, Beximco Recover and Square Fashions.

The runners-up are Echotex, Pacific Jeans, Flamingo Fashions, Zaber & Zubair Fabrics, Universal Jeans, KARUPANNYA Rangpur, JM Fabrics, Jinnat Fashions and SQ Celsius.