In a significant move towards sustainable development in Bangladesh鈥檚 readymade garment industry, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the global business association Amfori have pledged to collaborate on building a more transparent and efficient supply chain.
In this regard,聽John Stellansson,聽head of Business Development and Network at Amfori, and BGMEA Acting president Inamul Haq Khan met on Wednesday at the BGMEA Complex in the capital, according to a press release.
Amfori is considered as a leading global business association dedicated to promoting sustainable trade.
It also supports companies worldwide in making their supply chains more ethical, transparent, and environmentally responsible.
According to the press release, the meeting focused on developing a聽harmonised standard聽to streamline sustainability practices and audit procedures in the apparel sector.
Sharing the new strategic approaches of Amfori, Stellansson emphasised the transfer of responsibility for sustainable development directly to suppliers and manufacturers.聽
He also said that the shift would enable factories and their brand partners better to evaluate both supply chain performance and lead times.
One of the initiative鈥檚 core objectives was to聽minimise audit duplication聽across the supply chain, thereby reducing financial and administrative burdens on manufacturers, he added.
He also stated that the company aimed to encourage producers to take on active and leadership roles聽in both social and environmental compliance processes.
BGMEA鈥檚 acting president Inamul Haq Khan (senior vice president) said that the BGMEA is committed to establishing聽an integrated sustainability framework聽for the sector.
He stressed the need for a聽unified audit structure聽to eliminate redundancy and enhance operational efficiency for the RMG producers.
He also lauded Amfori鈥檚 manufacturer-centered approach and expressed keen interest in聽collaborative efforts to boost industry-wide capacity, share knowledge, and identify opportunities for improvement within factories.
They also agreed that聽closer cooperation and knowledge exchange聽would be critical in making audit processes more聽effective, cost-efficient, and transparent.
They also consented to explore potential聽pilot programmes聽to identify productive areas of collaboration.
