As the primary engine of our economy, to say that a lot rests on our RMG sector would be an understatement -- which is why it is now more important than ever for the industry to start concentrating on sustainability at each and every end point.
To that end, around 70 Bangladeshi RMG factories were recently recognized by the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) for their compliance and safe production facilities and were provided with Letters of Recognition LoRs after correcting the non-compliance faults identified during initial inspections.
This is what we want more of.
Bangladesh’s RMG sector is far from the days of Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashion and has come close to achieving stability, and although mounting global economic distress has indubitably put pressure on the industry, the industry still stands with its head held high. The next step is then, obviously, achieving higher levels of sustainability.
RMG contributes a significant fraction of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product and makes 80% of our export earnings, but it is also the biggest industrial contributor to Bangladesh's carbon footprint. While that might not be much in the grander scheme, it is still worth taking into cognizance as a nation that is on the frontlines in the battle against climate change.
Last year, over 30 Bangladeshi garment factories received Leed certification, so clearly the industry is heading the right way -- on matters of sustainability, the RMG sector has transformed itself into a benchmark for the entirety of the national economy.
Our RMG sector is proof that economic progress does not have to come at the cost of sacrificing environmental integrity but, of course, there is still a lot of work to be done in completely greening up the sector. Alongside growth, sustainability needs to be the other mantra for this sector.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
