Factories need to grasp the nettle

Never under-estimate the power of marketing and PR. At present, there is a huge disparity in the global apparel industry in terms of who is doing what with regard to sustainability. Some brands are doing a lot. Some brands are doing a little. Some brands are doing nothing at all.   

And yet, who, if they are honest, can tell the laggards from the leaders? As a factory owner, I know the difference, of course. I know who is walking the walk and who is talking the talk. I also know that sometimes there is a world of difference between what brands say in public and what occurs behind the scenes.

But do consumers know? I suspect most consumers cannot tell the difference between a laggard and a leader. My point is this: PR and marketing are key to our industry. It's amazing what can be achieved with a well-formulated public relations strategy. It's amazing how perceptions can be changed, how weaknesses can be glossed over and small victories painted as grand achievements.

The global apparel industry is brilliant at this. To offer a few examples, it has managed to convince much of the Western press that recycling and closing the loop is massive in our industry when, in reality, recycled collections are still few and far between—and often only small runs. It has also managed to convince the world that it has made great strides on the issue of sustainability when the reality is that the whole industry is still moving far too slowly in this regard and, in practical terms, not that much has changed in the past decade.

Most brands and retailers manage to paint a positive picture of their work. But what about their suppliers? What about Bangladesh's RMG industry? First, the good news: I know for a fact that the RMG industry has made massive progress in recent years in terms of safety, environmental compliance, and corporate governance. Our factories are safer than ever. Many of them use sophisticated effluent treatment technology, which means they are no longer polluting national waterways and have introduced brilliant water and energy saving techniques to make them more efficient. They have invested in green technologies for developing more LEED factories than any other country in the world.

Yet do they get the credit? Of course not. Any that credit there is goes to brands which shout out that they are supporting renewable energy and other projects in their supply chains (which factory owners fund). Meanwhile, the only time we hear about RMG suppliers is when something goes wrong—when workers are striking, when there is an accident or when there are factory closures.

We are seriously missing a trick here. I have touched on this issue briefly before, but it really does need to be repeated: we have to change the narrative, we have to get smarter, and we have to start altering the conversation around supply chains. There is an important reason for this.

Supply chains will be the big focus for apparel brands and retailers moving forwards. Why? Because, most major brands have set targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions and these targets are often linked to the requirements of the Paris Agreement.

Consider that 90 percent of emissions take place in supply chains and it becomes very clear how heavily the spotlight will fall on Bangladeshi RMG factories moving forward. The world will be watching. Brands—and their own consumers—will become more and more interested in what is actually happening in supply chains, about how their clothing is made, and the impact of clothing production on the environment.

As individual factories, in fact, as a whole industry, we need to get better at explaining what we do and the progress we have made, which is considerable. We need to expand our capacity to offer clear information to industry stakeholders (which include the whole apparel value chain), telling them how our work is helping to reduce emissions. And remember, it is we as factory owners that are helping reduce emissions and create a more sustainable apparel industry—not brands and retailers. We are the ones making the investments and changing the way we work, so we need to take credit where it is due.

From a PR and marketing point of view, we need to grasp the nettle on these issues and begin seriously fighting our corner. Our customers are brilliant at presenting their sustainability achievements in the best possible light, often taking the plaudits for work done by suppliers. It's time for us to turn the tide.

Mostafiz Uddin is the Managing Director of Denim Expert Limited. He is also the Founder and CEO of Bangladesh Denim Expo and Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE). Email: mostafiz@denimexpert.com