Bangladesh's informal textile waste management system must be formalised to align with the European Union's (EU) sustainable product regulations, experts said on Tuesday during a discussion aimed at improving the country's ready-made garment (RMG) industry.
The discussion was titled to be about switching to practices in the RMG industry that lead to sustainability (circularity) during the manufacturer's collection of raw materials in the supply chain (upstream).
The formalisation is required also for averting political-economic tension and labour unrest in the country's RMG industry, the industry representatives said.
Moreover, the experts opined that an enabling policy framework is essential to drive the transition as it could create millions of jobs in the recycling industry and reduce Bangladesh's reliance on imports.
The event was organised under the 'SWITCH to Circular Economy Value Chains' project, co-funded by the EU and the Finland government led by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Global Fashion Agenda, BESTSELLER, Reverse Resources, Chatham House, Circle Economy, and the European Investment Bank also collaborated to organise the programme.
Speaking there, Ministry of Commerce Additional Secretary (Head of export wing), Abdur Rahim Khan said, "In our country, jhute (garment waste) is not only an economic issue but also a law and order issue."
Citing the latest labour unrest in the country's RMG industry, he said the waste has been attributed as one of the major contributors to this unrest and stressed the need for framing a policy for waste management.
Though a policy will not directly help the country to transform into circularity, he mentioned, saying that it will resolve the unrest around the sector, hinting that an obstacle on the path towards circularity will be removed.
"Our export is going to be hampered to the EU if we don't move and shift our manufacturing strategy into circularity," he also said.
Mr Khan further stressed for technology transfer, financing and a national strategy for circularity and called for coordination among the three stakeholders-manufacturers, waste management companies and brands.
Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Bangladesh Dr Bernd Spanier said the next five years would be crucial for Bangladesh's garment industry.
Garment-producing countries must transition from the linear to circular production model to ensure that textiles are free of dangerous substances and they are produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner under the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textile, he noted.
The post-industrial regulatory framework is also essential because current frameworks, such as the National Environmental Policy, the Solid Waste Management Rules and the Bangladesh Labour Act, are not well aligned so far with emerging EU and international standards for circularity in textile manufacturing and waste management.
The industrial textile waste market in Bangladesh remains largely informal and that has a significant political-economy nexus in the sector as seen during the recent labour unrest in Ashulia and other parts of Dhaka, Mr Spanier added.
Formalising the sector is very important, he said adding a clear regulatory framework and enabling conditions would also attract innovative recycling technologies and know-how.
Citing a recent study of a Germany-based service provider, GIZ, he said that Bangladesh's lack of supportive policies has contributed to shifting preferences towards countries like Vietnam and Indonesia as destinations for recycling industries.
The diplomat also stressed for improvements in the business environment for this transformation and to attract more European companies here.
Chief Technical Advisor on Circular Economy in Global Value Chain from UNIDO, Mark Draeck, said in the textile industry, especially regarding circularity, things were more complex, which is why progress has not been straightforward.
He highlighted two concrete pilot projects they are working on, closely collaborating with both brands and manufacturing companies, to address challenges at the technology, logistics, economics and traceability levels.
Citing his visit at factories including Fakir Group and Recycle Raw, he said interest and readiness from the industry to move forward was evident.
However, to scale these initial experiences across the industry, more systemic challenges must be addressed, including policy, capacity building, access to finance and the necessary investments for this shift, Mr Draeck added.
BGMEA Support Committee member Rezwan Selim, Desh Group of Companies Deputy Managing Director Vidiya Amrit Ktan and GFA Stakeholder Consultant Shamiul Hoque, spoke at the event, among others.
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