More investments are necessary to build a sustainable RMG industry and it will also increase the production expenses in factories.
However, foreign buyers are not increasing the purchase price for apparel items made in Bangladesh.
Keeping that in mind, apparel traders and the State Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam urged buyers to increase the price of Bangladesh apparel items.
During Apparel Summit 2022, a concurrent event of the Made in Bangladesh Week 2022, experts said that sustainable pricing is necessary to build a sustainable industry. On Tuesday, four sessions were held at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) focusing on the development of the apparel industry.
During the discussion, Abdus Salam Murshedy, member of the Parliament and former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said: “Sustainable products increase our expenses and the whole industry is in a challenging situation right now. We witnessed heavy losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The prices of raw materials also increased.”
“Buyers always talk about green products and sustainability. But we have to keep in mind that it requires lots of investments as well. We have to increase the price of our products,” he added.
Kutubuddin Ahmed, former president of BGMEA said: “67% of the consumers want sustainable products now. We have to focus on sustainability and transparency.”
40% of the top 100 green factories are in Bangladesh. We have emphasized on energy, utility, chemical, workplace safety and workers’ safety. Now we need to focus on innovation, he added.
Zuena Aziz, principal coordinator (SDG Affairs) of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said: “We are focusing more on producing green products and building environment-friendly factories. The government is also working on building 100 economic zones.”
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