The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is partnering with two global leading apparel companies—BestSeller and GAP Inc --to catalyse the uptake of sustainable industrial practices in their supplier factories in Bangladesh. The project will be carried out by IFC’s Bangladesh Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) industry programme. These two brands will join eight other brands in the PaCT family, bringing the total to 10.
The textile industry is a significant contributor to Bangladesh’s economy, with export earnings accounting for more than 80 per cent of the total earnings, and the sector providing job security to more than 4 million people, mostly women.
If Bangladesh is to reach its strategic target of USD 50 billion in readymade garments (RMG) exports by 2021, this would result in an additional demand for water of over 3,400 billion litres by 2030, which is equivalent to the annual water needs of a population of approximately 75 million people. The implementation of cleaner production measures will positively impact the overall costs of water supply and pollution control. For example, simple and low-cost measures could reduce water use by up to 20 per cent and lower future infrastructure investment and operational expenditure by up to USD 650 million per annum compared to the business-as-usual scenario.
“With Bangladesh’s increasing endeavour for a bigger share of the global textile export earnings, the local textile sector is poised to demand increased access to sustainable energy and water use practices. The PaCT programme stands to support textile factories in Bangladesh by introducing resource efficiency and best practices and by promoting doing more with less—the most cost-effective way to reach resource sustainability,” said PaCT programme manager, Mohan Seneviratne. The programme has an existing partnership with eight other international apparel companies viz. C&A, H&M, Inditex, G-Star Raw, Kappahl, Lindex, Primark and Tesco.
As part of this engagement, PaCT will lead the design and implementation of the Cleaner Production (CP) programme in the factories nominated by the brands.
Major activities will include conducting Basic Cleaner Production and Deep Dive assessments, and implementation assistance to identify opportunities to improve resource (water, energy, and chemical) efficiencies in the factories. In addition, PaCT will provide technical support to integrate a management diagnostic tool, PaCT Advantage, within the nominated factories’ CP processes, and facilitate access to quality and reliable information on resource-efficient technologies and solution providers through the Textile Technology Business Center (TTBC). The partnership will thus help the nominated factories increase efficiency in resource uses and gain sustainability in their businesses.