Bangladesh’s garment and textile industry cannot achieve its renewable energy transition through individual factory initiatives alone and needs coordinated action to overcome the energy crisis and secure long-term competitiveness, leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) have said.
The call came at the third edition of the “Rapid Energy Transition Conference: Powering Security, Sustainability & Growth in Bangladesh RMG”, organised by Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Bangladesh at Hotel Agrabad in Chittagong on Monday.
Building on previous conferences held in Dhaka and Narayanganj, the event focused on the challenges and potential solutions for accelerating the energy transition in Chittagong.
The conference brought together 85 participants, including 70 factory representatives, eight BGMEA and BKMEA leaders based in Chittagong, a worker representative, industry experts, banks and renewable energy service providers.
Industry representatives warned that factories face growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and meet international buyers’ sustainability requirements, while limited renewable energy availability, infrastructure constraints and financing challenges continue to hinder the transition.
Enamul Aziz Chowdhury, director and acting vice-president of BGMEA and managing director of HK TG Garments Ltd, said the current energy crisis had exposed the vulnerability of Bangladesh’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and highlighted the need for a more sustainable energy system.
“Renewable energy and carbon reduction are no longer simply environmental agendas or corporate social responsibility initiatives. They are directly linked to our industry's ability to survive and remain competitive in global markets,” he said.
Chowdhury said the industry needed to look beyond temporary responses to the energy crisis and prepare for changing global trade conditions, particularly Bangladesh’s upcoming graduation from least developed country (LDC) status and increasingly stringent environmental and climate-related requirements in export markets.
He added that manufacturers could not undertake the transition alone and needed government support, accessible green financing, technical assistance and long-term partnerships with global brands and buyers.
Echoing the concerns, Md Yasin, director of BKMEA and managing director of Sonnet Group of Companies Ltd, said rising energy insecurity, global economic pressures and changing international market requirements were increasingly challenging the sustainability of Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) industry.
“Renewable energy transition is no longer a luxury. It has become a global necessity for the long-term survival of our industry,” he said.
Yasin urged manufacturers to use the preparation period before LDC graduation to improve energy efficiency, accelerate renewable energy adoption and strengthen compliance with emerging global sustainability standards.
Chittagong’s importance as a major industrial and commercial centre made the discussion particularly relevant. The region has a substantial garment, textile and export-oriented manufacturing base, including factories inside and outside export processing zones.
Speakers said energy challenges in the region directly affected production continuity, operating costs and export competitiveness, stressing that the transition must extend beyond Dhaka and address the infrastructure, investment and operational needs of other industrial centres.
Discussions highlighted that rooftop solar alone might not be sufficient for factories to meet international buyers’ growing renewable energy requirements.
Participants called for broader solutions, including off-site renewable energy generation, mechanisms for purchasing electricity from external renewable energy producers, decarbonisation of the national grid and better incentives for factories supplying surplus solar power.
At the closing session, Lt Comd Md Kutubuddin (retd), additional secretary of BGMEA, highlighted opportunities to use available land in Chattogram, including potentially unused spaces within export processing zones, for renewable energy generation and supply to the national grid.
Md Althaf Uddin, senior joint secretary (administration) of BKMEA and a member of the Labour Court in Chattogram, called for long-term planning to ensure the industry's sustainability over the next five to 10 years.
Drawing parallels with the garment industry's collective efforts to strengthen factory compliance following the Rana Plaza disaster, he said similar cooperation would be needed to ensure energy security in Bangladesh.
He also highlighted the potential for developing planned industrial zones with coordinated energy supply arrangements, particularly for factories scattered across different parts of Chittagong.
Representing workers, Md Hasan Ali, convener of the Worker-led Climate Action Network (Worker CAN) and president of the youth committee of the Bangladesh National Trade Union Federation (BNTUF), said the renewable energy transition must protect workers’ rights, employment and livelihoods alongside production and business competitiveness.
“This industry belongs to all of us. If factory owners engage workers and trade unions in the transition process, we can play an effective role in making the industry more sustainable,” he said.
Highlighting Worker CAN’s advocacy for responsible purchasing practices and accountability in the energy sector, Hasan Ali said workers should be recognised as active stakeholders in designing and implementing the industry's green transition.
He welcomed the decision to hold the conference in Chittagong, saying climate action and renewable energy initiatives must extend across the country's major industrial regions.
Sharing a factory-level perspective, Daulat Hossan, manager of human resources, administration and compliance at LCB International (BD) Ltd, said the transition must be realistic, affordable and aligned with individual factories’ operational and financial capacities.
He called for factory-specific energy roadmaps, stronger management commitment and greater government support to translate sustainability goals into achievable investments and measurable improvements.
Munir Uddin Shamim, director of programme, evidence and learning at ETI Bangladesh, said the industry's transition required systemic change rather than isolated factory initiatives.
He highlighted ETI's role in connecting industry stakeholders, including BGMEA, BKMEA, global brands and worker representatives, while advocating policy and systemic changes to accelerate renewable energy adoption.
The conference featured two working sessions examining the urgency of the renewable energy transition and available financing and technology options.
Jannatul Ferdaus, research officer at ETI Bangladesh, outlined global, national and sectoral factors driving the energy crisis and its effects on factory operations, supply chains and workers' livelihoods.
Sadia Rowshon Adhora of the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) presented the environmental, social and economic benefits of solar power.
Tahzibul Hoque, assistant general manager of the engineering department at Pacific Jeans, shared factory-level practices and the company's progress in adopting renewable energy and sustainable production while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The second session brought together financial institutions and renewable energy service providers to discuss practical investment options.
Saiful A Chowdhury of BRAC Bank PLC and Gultekin Binte Azad of City Bank PLC presented green financing and refinancing opportunities. Nure Alam, chief executive officer of the Greener Garments Initiative (GGI), discussed renewable energy technologies and third-party financing arrangements that could help factories overcome upfront investment barriers.
The discussions identified several priorities, including stronger coordination among BGMEA, BKMEA, government agencies and other stakeholders to address policy and implementation barriers; shared energy infrastructure and coordinated supply arrangements in Chittagong's industrial zones; renewable energy solutions beyond rooftop solar, including grid decarbonisation and external electricity procurement; and practical factory-level energy transition roadmaps alongside improved energy efficiency.