Mostafiz Uddin

The news that at least 26 people died and many others were injured after fire broke out at the FR Tower in Dhaka's Banani was another tragic reminder of the everyday dangers faced by citizens of this country.

Sustainabi-lity in the Bangladesh ready-made garment (RMG) industry is a subject that is never far from people's minds and occupies conversations with customers and industry partners.

The dynamics of the global apparel retail industry are changing rapidly, more so than during any time in the past 100 years. We are witnessing a rapid shift to online fashion retail and the closing of traditional brick-and-mortar shopping centres.

The ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh is entering an important new chapter in its history. Decisions made now by the industry and its leaders could have important long-term ramifications.

The signing of a Mem-orandum of Understanding (MOU) early last year between the BGMEA and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) was, quite rightly, much applauded by the national press.

The apparel retail landscape has changed rapidly in recent years. While there are still some laggards in the industry, most brands want to do the right thing when it comes to sustainability, with smart brands now recognising that operating in a sustainable manner goes hand in hand with business success.

We constantly hear the complaint from our apparel exporters that buyers do not pay them a fair price for their products. Whether or not this is a fair assessment is perhaps irrelevant.

In the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, 2018 will in many ways be viewed as the end of an era. The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, the North American-led initiative which has done so much to improve worker safety in garment export factories, will shortly end operations in Bangladesh.

The readymade garment (RMG) sector of Bangladesh has made universally applauded advances in the fields of ethical and sustainable manufacturing practices, with huge investments being made in the sector to improve working conditions and environmental standards.

The ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh now stands at a crossroads. We will soon be waving goodbye to two organisations that have had a huge impact on the safety of factories in our garments industry—ushering it into a bright new era.

The Bangladesh economy is growing at an extremely healthy rate. According to the latest figures form the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bangladesh is expected to post a growth rate of 7.5 percent in 2018-19, and the ready-made garment industry will be a key engine driver behind that growth.

Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry, the world's second largest garment exporter, has made huge strides especially in the past few years.

The quote "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate", from John F Kennedy is a mantra that should be adopted by all of us working in the readymade garment (RMG) sector of Bangladesh when entering into price discussions with our trading partners.

It used to be said that “the pen is mightier than the sword,” but in these days of ever-increasing reach and power of the social media, the image has usurped the written headline as the number one medium for grabbing the reader's attention, with various reports showing that 85 percent of social media users respond to an image as opposed to the written word.

The ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh has enjoyed rapid growth, with the country now well established as the world's second largest supplier of apparel and with the industry accounting for 83 percent of Bangladesh's exports, employing some 4.4 million people.

As I began to write down my thoughts on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI), I instinctively turned to the biggest AI engine: Google! Its powerful, AI-enabled search engine led me to the Deloitte Insights website.

Water will in future become more valuable than oil as rising demand from people, industries and agriculture will apply pressure on the scarce water supplies worldwide.

Since its foundation, the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector has enjoyed rapid expansion, reaching an audience of international buyers and contributing to 83 percent of per annum exports, employing some 4.4 million people, and contributing over USD 32 billion to the economy.

In the month of May, I was invited to represent Bangladesh at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in Denmark. The Copenhagen Fashion Summit is the most influential summit on sustainability in the fashion world. More than 2,500 international visitors and more than 100 thought leaders discussed the challenges that the fashion sector and the value chain associated face today.

It is well-known that the minimum wage of Bangladesh's garment workers is one of the lowest in the world, but what is less well-known and discussed far less often, is that the productivity of the sector is also the lowest among apparel producing nations, largely due to the fact that Bangladeshi workers lag behind other nations in skills and suffer from a lack of skill development opportunities and facilities.