Inter-national donors have played a key role in the development of the Bangladesh economy in recent years. Many global donors have huge purse strings and are often able to fund projects that otherwise might not get off the ground.

We all knew the global pandemic would change the business world in some way but, until recently, it has been difficult to pinpoint precisely how. For many of us, the past 16 months have been a fight to remain competitive above all else. Indeed, for some, it has been a fight for survival.

What makes a successful year for a business? The traditional way we define business success is through financials. With public companies, each quarter we receive an update, as well as an annual update. This tells us about revenues and profits as well as dividends payable to shareholders.

Bangladesh apparel industry stands at a critical juncture. The industry has achieved significant improvements in safety and is making steady strides in sustainability.

In my last article in The Daily Star, I wrote that Bangladesh needs to urgently act to retain the GSP+ facility post-LDC status.

This February, Bangladesh received the endorsement of the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UNCDP) regarding its final timeline for exiting the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group. Bangladesh is now scheduled to leave the LDC category in 2026.

We are seeing a growing number of brands, retailers and manufacturers setting climate targets at present. In many cases they are establishing science-based targets aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

For better or worse, Bangladesh as a sourcing hub has become the global bellwether for CSR issues in apparel supply chains.

Must we keep on making the same old mistakes? Last year during the pandemic, I wrote extensively about the issue of purchasing practices and their impact on garment supply chains and their workers.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit virtually all businesses—but some have been hit harder than others. Indeed, some have barely been hit at all and a lucky few have thrived during the pandemic.

Sometimes an industry needs a helping hand. It happened in many countries, at different junctures of history.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will announce a new president on April 4, as well as a new board of directors. Whoever wins the election and takes over as BGMEA president faces a mountainous challenge.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The past 12 months have seen one bad news after another, and it has often felt like we are taking two steps forwards and three steps back.

Recently it was announced that one of the world’s leading online fashion companies, Boohoo, is looking at financially incentivising its leadership team for achieving sustainability targets.

It has been around one year since the coronavirus pandemic began to bring about sweeping changes in our industry.

As we all know, the past 12 months have seen many apparel retailers go bust, leaving a trail of financial destruction in their wake.

High streets around the world are changing rapidly. The coronavirus pandemic has led to a great many store closures and seen more and more businesses shift online in our major export markets.

Who is thinking of the manufacturers? Who is considering the garment workers?

Many of us will have heard the story of the boiled frog. Legend has it that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will instantly leap out. But if you put it in a pot filled with pleasantly tepid water and gradually heat it, the frog will remain in the water until it boils to death.

Issues around sustainability come and go, but some topics will remain as important now as they were before the current global pandemic began.