BGMEA plans big to cut carbon emission

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) targets reducing carbon emission by 30 percent, using sustainable raw materials in 50 percent of the cases and bringing down the use of groundwater by 50 percent within 2030.

The Bangladeshi garment makers also target using 100 percent zero discharge of hazardous chemicals under its sustainability vision by 2030, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said yesterday.

Under the sustainability vision, the BGMEA also has the target to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent, use of 20 percent renewable energy and reduce deforestation by 30 percent by the stipulated timeframe of 2030, Hassan said.

"Climate change is not a future threat, it's happening now. The best way one can make an impact in this regard is "doing-our-bits" to curb carbon emissions and reduce environmental pollution."

Hassan made the comment at the launch of a report titled 'The case for just transitions in energy, agricultural and RMG sector in Bangladesh' at the Six Seasons Hotel in Dhaka.

"When the brands are setting ambitious targets, it is their responsibility to make sure that no one is left behind in the supply chain," the BGMEA president also said.

Bangladesh's RMG industry has seen an impressive growth in the number of green garment factories. The total number of LEED certified green garment factories in Bangladesh is now 200, of which 73 are platinum, the highest category.

These green factories are equipped with all the eco-friendly features and emit 40 percent less carbon than a conventional factory, he said in a BGMEA statement.

Hassan said the garment industry of Bangladesh is increasingly focusing on the transition from linear business model to circular economy for greater environmental sustainability coupled with economic growth.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, special envoy to the prime minister for climate change and chair of the parliamentary standing committee on the environment and forest ministry; Imran Rahman, vice chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh; Zafar Sobhan, editor of the Dhaka Tribune, and Sultana Afroz, former CEO of Public Private Partnership Authority, also spoke.