Brands and businesses call for shared responsibility in implementing Human Rights Due Diligence

Bangladesh's buyers and brand representatives have urged the country's ready-made garment (RMG) suppliers to recognise and comply with the European Union's new policy, Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), which will help them maintain a sustainable business in the long run.

They raised this issue at a seminar titled "Human Rights Due Diligence," held at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, today (17 February).

Brands and Bangladesh's RMG suppliers have also urged for shared responsibility in implementing HRDD,

The Europe-based Fair Wear Foundation with the support of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), organized the program.

Sabiha Akter, corporate sustainability manager of Cotton Group, a Belgium-based brand, said, "Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) is not optional, it is a must. Non-compliance will result in penalties." She urged suppliers to "recognise this reality."

The event brought together six European member brand representatives of Fair Wear and 13 suppliers to foster discussions around the HRDD concept and its implementation at the factory level.

Bangladesh's garment entrepreneurs acknowledged the importance of HRDD for long-term sustainability. However, they urged buyers to share responsibility.

Shams Mahmud, managing director of Shasha Denims Limited and former President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "I invested $50 million to make my factory environmentally sustainable, a project that could have been done for just $10 million. What return do I get on that investment?"

Bablur Rahman, country manager of the Fair Wear Foundation, stated that factory owners should be able to recover the expenses they incur for compliance.

Among others who spoke at the event were Wasim Zakaria, Managing Director of Posh Garments Limited; Minhazul Hoque, Director of the BKMEA; and Ferdousi Akhter, Sustainability Coordinator of the German-based brand s.Oliver.