Now Bangladesh has 178 readymade garments (RMG) factory units with two more units obtaining US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) certificates.
Among them, are 58 in the platinum category, 106 in gold, 10 in silver, and another four Leed-certified factory buildings as of November 17, 2022.
Bangladesh Export Import Company (BEXIMCO) Ltd, based on BEXIMCO Industrial Park at Gazipur obtained the ‘Platinum’ certificate from the USGBC with a score of 85 on November 17 of this year.
Moreover, Narayanganj-based Barnali Collections Limited obtained the ‘Gold’ certificate with a score of 64, said the BGMEA official.
According to the BGMEA, another 550 factories are in pipeline or registered to get USGBC’s Leed certification.
So far in 2022, 13 factories have been certified which is also a record.
Experts said that Bangladesh’s garment industry is now poised to take the lead globally by addressing mounting issues of sustainability, climate change, groundwater depletion, and efficiency.
The growing number of green apparel factories will give Bangladesh a vantage ground to cope up with EU green deals and due diligence directives stated by both the experts and the businesses.
They stated that their goal is to create a sustainable, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly apparel industry and increase innovation, recycling, and the circular economy.
Moreover, BGMEA pledges to the Green Button, which is a global seal of excellence in sustainability by the government of Germany.
Speaking to the media, Mohiuddin Rubel, director of the BGMEA said that in the global economic turmoil, the orders are decreasing by 20%-30%, but in this situation, when buyers see the news regarding new factories getting LEED certificates, their confidence automatically boosts.
The operational costs will be reduced in the long term, currently, we are suffering from an energy crisis, however, green factories may also give support there.
They’ll be continuing to strengthen their position in the future, he added saying that they are getting more focus than competitors due to this and they believe buyers are evaluating this positioning and will continue to do so in the future.
According to apparel manufacturers, the move towards green factory buildings helped regain Bangladesh’s image after the Rana Plaza tragedy, which claimed 1,134 lives and left more than 2,000 injured.
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