Two new Bangladeshi readymade garment factory units have achieved United States Green Building Council鈥檚 (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) certificates, boasting a total of 250 Leed-certified factories in the country.
Of the 250 green factories, 105 are platinum-rated, 131 gold-rated, 10 silver-rated and four certified factories, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
In July, Gazipur-based聽Evitex Apparels Limited聽obtained a gold聽certificate under LEED O+M: Existing Building v4.1 rating system with a score of 75.
Moreover,聽Aswad Composite Mills Ltd - Unit 2, a factory unit based in Ashulia of Dhaka, achieved also gold certificate with a score of 64 under聽LEED BD+C: New Construction v4 rating system.
So far, 68 of the world鈥檚 top 100 LEED factories, including nine of the top 10 and 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 of Bangladesh are awaiting the USGBC鈥檚 LEED certification.
The factories of the country 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 help green factories significantly reduce operational costs over time, even though they may initially spend more to set up.
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.
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.