Apparel Summit ends listing challenges, opportunities

A three-day summit meet of Bangladesh apparel-makers with the industry's international clientele concluded in Dhaka Tuesday, identifying the prevailing challenges and opportunities for attaining a $50 billion export goal, organisers and participants said.
The apex body of the country’s readymade garment industry organised the Dhaka Apparel Summit at a time when the largest export-earning sector has been facing some odds, especially in respect of workplace safety and labour-right issues.
Terming the mega-event 'successful', the organizers said they were able to present some emerging issues before the global community, especially the global buyers, which will help in brightening image of the industry.
The business carnival, especially the expo, brought garment-industry leaders together with leading international safety-equipment vendors and experts to help increase access to the latest safety expertise, tools and technologies in Bangladesh.
Over 10,000 participants joined the three-day exposition covering a good range of stakeholders, including RMG factories, brands, fire-safety-equipment vendors and NGOs, the organizers added.
"Thousands of participants, including manufactures, came to attend the seminars and visit the Expo to know about the latest technologies and their installations," said Md Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
It proved that Bangladeshi apparel-makers are now aware of fire, electrical and building safety and they have already invested millions of dollars in this respect to lift the compliance to global standards.
"There were a total of nine seminars that have identified a set of challenges ahead of the target and came up with recommendations how to address them," Mr Azim said summing up the outcome of the meet.
Access to internationally certified safety equipment, now required in many cases as a result of recent factory-safety reforms, has historically been a tremendous challenge for Bangladesh factory owners. Very little certified equipment is made locally in Bangladesh, with nearly all requiring import.
"Unless the right equipment and practices are accessible to factory owners, sustainable reform cannot be achieved," M Rabin, managing director of Alliance, one of the organizers of the expo, said.
He adds: As a platform for diverse stakeholders, the Expo allowed vendors, brands and factory management to discuss lessons learned and share strategies for remediating factories and strengthening the industry. Participants will attend lecture tracks to learn about the latest advances in fire doors, sprinklers and engineering assessments.
Exhibitors include industry leaders such as Honeywell, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Litchfield, NAFFCO, Tyco and UL.
Replying to a question, MA Khan Jewel, a participant in the expo, said: "The response from manufactures regarding the safety equipment was very good."
Better infrastructure, availability of power and gas, skilled workers and managers have been given top priorities in achieving the target while the seminars emphasized knowledge, education, conducive policy and legislation, CETP for environmental sustainability.
For factory relocation or fixing the flaws identified, access to low-cost fund, buyers' cost sharing, ethical pricing and improved relations between buyers and suppliers were stressed.
On government part, the seminars called for good governance and shifting priority to industry, while allowing constructive criticism and availability of information regarding the industry.
The suggestions that came from the summit will be presented in a book, which organizers said will help the sector get to the golden goal of $50-billion export.
In the meantime, the Alliance in the remediation process conducted a survey on 485 participants. It revealed that untrained managers and workers and insufficient fire-safety equipment in factories are the top challenges factories face in relation to fire and building safety.
They opined that the expo is a great opportunity to improve knowledge and awareness of fire and building safety amongst all stakeholders and also suggested training of management and workers to address the challenges.
The Summit also ended with awarding two units, in recognition of their efforts to improve workplace safety.
Epic Garments Manufacturing Co Ltd was adjudged champion for excelling in the prompt implementation of safety measures and Vintage Denim Studio Ltd as runner-up for its commitment to making critical fire and electrical repairs, improving quality of life in the workplace and reducing the negative impact of the factory on the environment.
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