We welcome the support shown by RMG industry leaders and the government for work on making the textile industry more competitive by improving its environmental sustainability.
Experience shows reducing negative environmental impacts can go hand in hand with improving efficiency and reducing costs to improve competitiveness.
A seminar by the IFC and PRI heard how adopting environment-friendly technology had helped one factory cut its use of water for cleaning by more than two thirds down from 180litres to 50litres of water per kilogram fabric.
Similar benefits for the environment can be seen in factories which have enhanced their energy management systems and improved efficiency to both cut their long-term energy costs and carbon-dioxide emissions.
For larger factories, figures suggest that most improvements required to reduce water and energy consumption by up to 25%, can be recouped within 15 months.
The outlook is made less rosy, however, by the poor enforcement of existing environmental standards. Less than a third of washing-dying and finishing firms are currently served by proper effluent treatment plants.
Disincentives which stop smaller firms and entrepreneurs from incorporating environmental compliance into their systems, must be overcome as a matter of priority.
Greater use needs to be made of fiscal incentives to encourage entrepreneurs to adopt low-cost cleaner production practices and cut their energy and water consumption rates.
With demand for greener products increasing globally, encouraging sustainability in RMG production is not just important for the environment but is a way of improving competitiveness and quality which can help further our economic growth.