Meet the apparel producers who are staying ahead in the sustainability game

As industrialisation has taken its toll on the planet's health and human's wellbeing, new generation consumers have become very conscious about the environment and climate. This awareness has permeated all sectors, including the fashion industry. 

Global fashion brands are under pressure to ensure sustainability in their products, which has come down to RMG manufacturers. Bangladesh's RMG industry boasts the highest number of Leed-certified green factories in the world, which has reached over 200. 

But the efforts to achieve sustainability surpasses building codes and encompasses other stages of the production process. There has been a constant investment in this regard, and it is also paying off, making it easier to supply to the big brands. 

One of the major requirements from the consumer side is material sustainability, meaning the material used should be sustainably produced, Mohammad Monower Hossain, Head of Sustainability, Team group, told The Business Standard. 

"Nowadays fabric is made from hemp, and even from banana fibre. These are sustainable materials. An attempt is being made to reduce overdependence on cotton," Monower said. 

Recycling or circularity is another important thing, like producing yarn from fabric and reusing that in the production process. Even man-made fibre is nowadays made from sustainable materials like coffee-oil instead of petro-chemical. Monower said they have sourced such materials for Team Group.

The scale of use of such material, of course, depends mainly on the requirement of the buyer.

"Accessories such as zippers, buttons and even colour used need to be sustainable as well. Only then the product reaches the sustainable category," Monower continued.

Water consumption is a major area to take care of. Consumers want to see how much water is used per unit of product. 10 years back, one kg of fabric needed 250 to 350 litres of water for dyeing and washing in Bangladesh. Now, new and advanced machinery help perform the same thing with 50-60 litres of water. Some processes do not even need water at all, such as Ozone wash for denim, the sustainability officer informed.

Also, harmful processes like sandblasting and using harmful chemicals has been stopped in Bangladesh. Now, the industry is using chemicals which are not carcinogenic, or hurt human health in any way. The impact on human health is reduced in the process.

"Apparel exporters of Bangladesh are committed to Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) and have already implemented the elimination of 11 groups of chemicals from the supply chain that are harmful to the environment, ecology and biodiversity," said Monower, who also worked as focal point of BGMEA in Department of Environment (DoE) Bangladesh.

Thanks to these measures, Bangladeshi manufacturers easily become partners with global brands. In some cases, factories adopt newer, greener technologies even if there is not a demand from consumers because it will increase the company's chances to sustain in the long run. 

"And these efforts add non-economic value to the product. Sustainability and circularity is evolving as a major selling point in business. This is happening globally, and Bangladesh being a major sourcing hub, our manufacturers are adapting these processes," Monower added.

According to him, even in the case of freight service, apparel manufacturers are starting to consider the carbon footprint of the operation. Sustainable Aviation Fuel is already in the market, and the industry is approaching to make use of that. Thus, every stage of the supply chain - from raw materials to logistics and the final product - is more sustainable now than in the past.

PHOTO: OLID IBNE SHAH

And audits are contributing in shaping a sustainable apparel industry, Saiful Islam Khan, managing director of Essential Clothing Ltd told TBS.

"In the past, only two types of audits used to be done: social compliance and technical compliance - with the latter determining whether the factory will be able to manufacture the product correctly. Now among many others, energy audit, Higg index audit are used to determine the sustainability of the manufacturing process," Saiful said.

Saiful said many green factories have been established, and reduction of water use in dye houses is being given much importance nowadays. Many are investing in renewable energy, which is also lucrative from the ROI perspective. It helps the manufacturers be in the good book of the Buyers.

"We have set up solar panels with a capacity of 600 kw at Essential Clothing. In printing, we use a zero-discharge ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) where 100 percent water is recycled and reused. The water coming out of the ETP is used in flushing the toilet. The wastewater from the STP (Sewage Treatment plant) is also reused in toilet flushing," Saiful detailed the sustainability efforts made by his company.

"We are harvesting rainwater as well. While purchasing machinery, we choose the low-power consumption ones. We try to ensure that the chemicals used are free of harmful substances. Besides, sewing machines with servo motors are a commonplace nowadays. All the floors use energy saving LED lights, and try to use as much daylight as possible," Saiful continued the long list of efforts.

He said that water use in the dyeing process is significantly reduced. Digital dyeing machines are also already there which require no water at all, but the chemical cost being very high, not all manufacturers are rushing to purchase them. The technology is only used in some exclusive products for select buyers. 

"We are also planning to turn the kitchen and food waste from lunch to compost fertiliser," the Essential MD added.

Towhidul Alam, director at Silken Sewing Ltd, put more emphasis on sustainability policy aimed at workers.

"Recently we've started a fair price shop in the factory which is a big support for the workers. We have started paternity leave for our workers three years back, while the government has introduced it only recently," he said.

That being said, Silken Sewing is already a LEED platinum certified company, which is a big investment in terms of green transition. 

"In terms of environmental sustainability, we are conserving 65% water, and saving 20% energy. Our lights can be turned on and off on a production-line basis, so instead of keeping all of them turned on, we can turn off a line when the respective production line is closed. Instead of central AC, we have installed individual AC so energy can be conserved," Towhidul Alam added.

A recent study by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) styled 'Securing Green Transition of the Textile and Readymade Garments Sector in Bangladesh' found self-motivation to be a greater force than buyers' requirement in obtaining green certification. 

The study also found that large factories are more (80.70%) aware of green certification than the others. Micro-sized factories are much less aware (only 3%).