The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with HSBC organised a seminar in Dhaka recently. Titled “Leveraging sustainable supply chain”, the seminar was attended by brands, retailers’ representatives, garment manufacturers and textile makers, donor agencies and bankers, who expressed their views and opinions as to the way forward for the Bangladesh readymade garment sector underlining the focus on sustainability.
“At HSBC, our aim is to support the development of sustainable supply chains for our clients, which will help them to grow internationally,” reportedly stated CEO of HSBC Bangladesh Francois de Maricourt.
He added, “As the second largest apparel exporter, Bangladesh should continue to drive the sustainable supply chain practices, given the expected impact of climate change,” while Country Director of UNDP Bangladesh Sudipto Mukerjee on his part observed, “Inclusive business models have the potential to sustainably serve everyone through mutual benefit, be they the smallest enterprises or multinational giants, when tied together in a shared supply chain.”
The two very important stakeholders – buyers and manufacturers – too expressed their opinion while stressing that after 40 years of journey the time has come for the industry to lay focus on PD and value-addition to ensure business sustainability.
Garment makers need to increase the production volume of the value-added garment items like suits for which retailers, brands and customers pay more, observed Country Manager of Marks & Spencer Shwapna Bhowmic. However, KM Rezaul Hasanat, Chairman and CEO of Viyellatex Group, reportedly maintained that the industry needs to change the brand image so as to bargain better price points.