BGMEA President Faruk Hasan said that Bangladesh RMG industry reached the landmark of 200 LEED certified factories by USGBC last month and the momentum continues as the number keeps growing.
He informed that 2 more factories are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), both are Gold rated and this takes total number of LEED factories to 202 of which 73 earned the prestigious Platinum rating, 115 Gold and 10 are silver rating.
"In 2022, we had the highest number of factories being LEED certified in a single year. With 30 factories receiving LEED certification 2022, 15 were Platinum and 15 Gold certified. Fast forward to August 2023, another 20 factories have earned this coveted recognition in 8 months of this year, with 13 achieving the esteemed Platinum rating and 7 attaining the Gold rating", Faruk added.
He was addressing an event in the capital on Saturday.
He said Bangladesh made a distinction being the home to 13 of 15 globally highest-rated LEED Green Factories. Among these, 1 stands out as the highest-rated LEED Green Factory globally. 500 more factories are in the pipeline to get the certification as its happening gradually.
Mentioning that Bangladesh’s RMG industry has made all-out efforts with commitment and determination to become sustainable in every respect, especially in the workplace safety, workers wellbeing and environmental areas, President said that he unparalleled green transformation is a testament of our visionary entrepreneurship showing resilience, flexibility, mindset toward positive changes and capability to adapt.
This international recognition not only highlights our dedication, but also showcases our country's potential as a leader in sustainable manufacturing practices.
The perception about the industry among the global community has changed significantly. Bangladesh is no more known as a producer of basic items and workplace hazards. In the past decade we have laid a strong foundation in workplace safety, transparency and developing an ecosystem to support growth.
BGMEA has taken a strategic vision 2030 which is firmly rooted in sustainability involving economic, social and environmental priorities. We are making our association, BGMEA, as a futuristic organisation.
President mentioned that a Center for Innovation and Center for Efficiency and Center for OSH have been established to foster innovation in every segment of the trade, also established the Textile Technology Business Center (TTBC), an offspring of the Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) project, that serves as a knowledge hub on resource efficiency, and business-to-business linkages with local and international technology suppliers.