Five more Bangladeshi readymade garment factories have obtained United States Green Building Council鈥檚 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, certification, bringing the total number of LEED-certified factories in the country to 268.
According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, of the 268 green factories, 114 are platinum-rated, 135 gold-rated, 15 silver-rated and four are certified.
In October, Savar-based Pakiza Knit Composite Limited obtained a platinum certificate under the O+M: Existing Buildings v4.1 rating system, achieving a score of 87.
Fashion Pulse Limited, a Dhaka-based factory, also achieved a platinum certificate under the LEED BD+C: New Construction v4 rating system, achieving聽a score of 87.
GSVA Private Limited, another Dhaka-based factory, also achieved a platinum certificate under the same system with a similar score to the above one.聽
Chattogram-based Visual Knitwear Limited got a gold certificate under the O+M: Existing Buildings v4.1 rating system, achieving聽a score of 76.
Another Chattogram-based factory, Talisman Performance Ltd, also achieved a gold certificate under the LEED BD+C: New Construction v4 rating system, achieving聽a score of 62.
Among the world鈥檚 top 100 LEED factories, 68 units, including 18 of the top 20, are in Bangladesh.
This success is expected to attract new investment and partnerships, reinforcing Bangladesh鈥檚 position as a sustainable manufacturing hub.
According to industry insiders, a total of 550 factories were now awaiting the USGBC鈥檚 LEED certification.
The factories of Bangladesh have been obtaining the LEED certificate since 2011.
The USGBC honours factories based on several criteria: transformation performance, energy, water, and waste management. The best performers are rated platinum, followed by gold and silver.
According to industry insiders, these criteria enable green factories to significantly reduce operational costs over time, even though they may initially incur higher setup costs. Mohiuddin Rubel, managing director of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and former director of the BGMEA, said that as the world increasingly prioritised ESG performance and sustainability in supply chains, this milestone enhanced the country鈥檚 global image. He said that this achievement came at a time when the industry was navigating significant headwinds, including just settled US reciprocal tariff issues and domestic setbacks, both political, financial and energy-related.
鈥楬owever, in the face of such pressures, our entrepreneurs continue to invest in sustainable infrastructure and practices, demonstrating extraordinary resilience and long-term vision,鈥� he added.
According to apparel manufacturers, the move towards green factory buildings helped regain Bangladesh鈥檚 image after the Rana Plaza tragedy, which claimed 1,134 lives and left more than 2,000 injured.
