BGMEA President Faruque Hassan hosted a roundtable with British brands and retailers buying apparel from Bangladesh at the East India Club in London on November 12.

The event was graced with the presence of Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, Co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion.

BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Director Abdullah Hil Rakib and Shams Mahmud, Managing Director of Shasha Denims Ltd also attended the program.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan apprised the UK brands and Her Ladyship about the exemplary progress made by Bangladesh’s garment industry in workplace safety, sustainability and ethical manufacturing. He asserted the firm commitment of the industry to pursue excellence in these areas in the coming days. 

He also shed lights on the future priorities set by Bangladesh’s apparel sector in pursuance of retaining its fame as a safe, sustainable and competitive destination of apparel sourcing in the world.

In his presentation, Faruque Hassan highlighted the RMG industry’s increased focus on enhancing capabilities, particularly in the area of diversification of products and markets, innovation and value addition, and upgrading technologies in order to cater to cater to the demands of global brands and buyers.

The BGMEA President also pointed out that increase in prices of yarn, chemicals and other raw materials in the global supply chain has pushed up production costs in garment manufacturing.

In such context, he urged the UK brands and retailers to increase price as nobody can justify a lower price to produce socially fair goods. 

The BGMEA President called upon the brands and retailers of the UK to strengthen partnership with their Bangladeshi suppliers to build their capabilities in development of high-end products and their manufacturing. 

The buyers were very pleased with the presentation given to them and recommitted to their intention of sourcing from Bangladesh.