In an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune's Saddam Hossain, Kenny Liu, the vice-president and general manager of South Asia and EMEA (apparel Solutions) of Avery Dennison, discussed the unique challenges working women of the RMG sector face like limited maternity rights, access to childcare benefits, pre- and post-pregnancy rights and its impact.
What is the significance of the event at the UNICEF HQ that you had?
Bangladesh's garment industry has been critical to the country's economic progress.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh's apparel sector continued to thrive and attract investment. According to the Export Promotion Bureau, the country generated over $43 billion in garment exports in FY22, representing a 36% year-on-year growth.
Yet, more than 80% of apparel industry workers are female and do not have access to adequate child care.
We are collaborating with UNICEF to support the Mothers@Work initiative, which promotes maternity rights and childcare support for women workers in Bangladesh's ready-made garments (RMG) sector.
Through this partnership, the Avery Dennison Foundation will provide funding of $200,000 over two years to help expand the initiative.
What are Mothers@Work's initiatives and why is it essential for women RMG factory workers in Bangladesh?
The Mothers@Work program aims to promote maternity rights protection and breastfeeding support for women working in Bangladesh RMG factories.
It is important to recognize the unique challenges that working mothers experience in the garment sector, which frequently results in physical and mental stress, jeopardizing their health and well-being.
The initiative seeks to address these issues by increasing public awareness of maternity benefits, recommended nutritional care practices during pregnancy and breastfeeding habits following delivery.
Furthermore, the program will help these women improve their lives and provide better support to their children while they continue to work.
We are committed, as a responsible company, to positively impacting the communities where our products are manufactured and this program is a step toward that aim.
Why is the partnership with Mothers@Work important for Avery Dennison? What do you intend to achieve through the partnership?
As a global materials science and manufacturing company serving nearly every major industry, including the apparel sector, we are committed to promoting women's empowerment and ensuring they are treated fairly and equitably in the workplace.
Providing targeted support for women in the workforce and ensuring women can earn a living while also having the needed support to care for their children is critical for women and their children and is an investment that benefits us all.
How do you see Avery Dennison's partnership helping the Mothers@Work initiative?
The financial support from Avery Dennison towards this initiative will help enhance the reach of the Mothers@Work program to 160 more ready-made garments factories in two years, which will help to build the capacity of their 2,000 staff, including health workers and care providers.
It will raise awareness among 144,000 female workers on maternity rights. The recommended breastfeeding and childcare support provisions will directly benefit an estimated 8,640 working pregnant women and lactating mothers in these factories and more than 14,000 children aged 0-3 years at the workplace-based child daycare facilities of ready-made garments factories will benefit from improved nutrition and early childcare practices.
How does Avery Dennison promote and protect diversity, equity, inclusion and empowerment of women in its organization?
An inclusive culture is the foundation of everything we do at Avery Dennison globally. At Avery Dennison Bangladesh, we promote diversity, equity and inclusion through an internal platform for women empowerment called “WeRise.”
The platform creates engagement for women employees through four pillars - an inclusive workplace, encouraging growth, well-being, reward and recognition.
In September 2022, the WeRise team organized a week-long health and well-being session themed “Living a Healthy and Wealthy Life.”
Beyond the funding support, is there any plan to involve your workers in advancing the Mothers@Work initiative?
Across our company and around the world and in Bangladesh, our employees are finding new ways to be a force for good.
In 2021, we collaborated with the Black Employee Resource Group in Avery Dennison to create a collection of bespoke tote bags using the artwork of Avery Dennison employees' children.
We donated proceeds from selling these bags to Wilberforce University, a local historically black university.
With the same idea, we plan to auction artwork by children of Avery Dennison employees collected from previous charity activities in Bangladesh.
Tell us about Avery Dennison's Bangladesh operations. How has it contributed to the business and the economy?
Avery Dennison is a global material science and digital identification solutions company that provides branding and information labelling solutions that include pressure-sensitive materials, radio-frequency identification (RFID) inlays and tags, and various converted products and solutions.
As one of the largest multinational employers in the region, Avery Dennison continues to invest in initiatives that promote workplace safety and quality of life in Bangladesh.
Employee safety, social compliance, corporate responsibility and sustainability are core values of our culture, and our factory safety standards are often more stringent than the local or national standards. We promote sustainable, socially compliant business conduct and fair labour practices.
In Bangladesh, the foundation offers a life skills program to communities to support access to educational programs that address access to clean water, farming practices, small business and food programs, helping them to thrive through education and self-reliance.
How does the partnership between Avery Dennison and UNICEF Bangladesh align with Avery Dennison's sustainability agenda? What are its sustainability goals and how do they align with the United Nations SDGs?
At Avery Dennison, we recognize the critical role of women in propelling Bangladesh's economy and the need for greater participation of women in the workforce.
This partnership with UNICEF Bangladesh on the Mothers@Work program aligns with our Sustainability Agenda and the 2030 sustainability goals reflecting our commitment to creating a better future for all.
Our 2030 sustainability goals align with seven United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our goals cover the areas including delivering innovations that advance the circular economy, reducing our environmental impact in our operations and supply chain and positively impacting our people and communities' livelihoods.
What is your message for other players in the textile sector about the Mothers@Work initiative?
Avery Dennison recognizes the importance of empowering women and creating a more inclusive workplace as they bring diverse perspectives and skill sets critical to driving innovation and growth.
Mothers@Work is an excellent opportunity for everyone in the industry to make a difference.
We are proud to partner with UNICEF in its Mothers@Work programme that seeks to transform women workers' lives by protecting maternity rights and enabling childcare support to women workers in the ready-made garments sector.
