Bangladesh news and archive

Bangladesh Denim Expo: An iconic event of the Bangladesh apparel industry

Bangladesh Denim Expo is one of the most significant international trade shows and serves as a source and inspiration for European buyers. Being hosted by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), it takes place twice a year in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Denim Expo started its journey with their first event in November 2014 which was hosted at the...

Business

AAFA calls on Bangladesh to stop 'threats' to garment workers

American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has called for an end to "the threats and crackdown on garment workers in Bangladesh" in an open letter addressed to the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA). In recent months, the protesters have been protesting against one of the lowest wages in the world,...

Business

Denim Expert aims for 100 percent wastewater recycling with new effluent treatment plant

Denim manufacturer and exporter Denim Expert Ltd. has announced a new, state-of-the-art effluent treatment plant at its factory in Chittagong, Bangladesh to achieve its goal of 100 percent wastewater recycling and zero discharge of hazardous chemicals, ultimately aligning with the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Wastewater...

Fashion

Garment workers among the lowest-paid industrial workers globally

A decade after global fashion brands committed to raising garment workers' wages to a living wage, progress remains slow. In Bangladesh, where around 600,000 people work for H&M, workers earned an average of 119 dollars per month in the first half of 2023, below the 194 dollars living-wage benchmark, reported the Wall Street Journal. Advocates...

BusinessFeatured

Thousands laid off over protests against minimum wage in Bangladesh textile industry

Garment workers in Bangladesh have been protesting for higher pay since October, with dire consequences. FashionUnited contacted the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) about the latest status, as thousands of workers have now reportedly been laid off. "It is not quite clear yet but union leaders in Bangladesh assume that around 3,000 to 4,000 workers...

Business

Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Fashion for Good to advance chemical textile recycling

Last week, non-profit Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) organised a roadshow in collaboration with global sustainability initiative Fashion for Good to pave the way for chemical recycling of textiles in the country. It was supported by two tech start-ups, Circ and Infinited Fiber Company, which specialise in chemical textile-to-textile...

Business

The industry's slow shift to renewable energy in manufacturing countries

As one of the most significant contributors to global carbon emissions and environmental deterioration, it comes as little surprise that some of the fashion industry's largest players are investing in new initiatives to reduce their impact. With several companies adjusting their sustainability strategies to include net-zero carbon emissions,...

Background |Long read

How (not) sustainable is the fashion industry?

Fashion and 'sustainability' don't actually go together. A garment is usually made in such a way that it quickly goes out of fashion. In the fashion industry there is not only stylistic obsolescence, but also technical obsolescence. Some clothing is of such low quality that it tears, pills or loses its colour after a few wears and washes. Ideal...

BusinessFeatured

H&M Group and Bestseller to build Bangladesh's first offshore wind project

Fashion titans H&M Group and Bestseller have joined forces with the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) to develop the first offshore wind project in Bangladesh to help streamline the sector's transition to renewable energy. Pledging to invest up to 100 million US dollars towards this new collaborative effort, announced at COP28 on December 5, the...

BusinessFeatured

H&M to increase unit prices for suppliers in Bangladesh

Swedish fast fashion giant H&M is understood to have told its suppliers in Bangladesh that it would be upping its unit prices following the recently announced minimum wage increase for garment workers in the region. The company reportedly said that it would “absorb the increase in wages” in its product prices, becoming one of the first retailers...

People

US government urges Bangladesh to reconsider minimum wage increase

The United States has urged Bangladesh to reconsider its recent decision on the minimum wage and ensure the protection of workers' rights following the death of a woman during garment labour protests. A government-appointed panel increased factory wages by 56.25 percent to 12,500 taka ( approximately 113 dollars) per month, but striking workers...

EventPress Release

Country to double denim export by 2030 to achieve $100b apparel export

Speakers at the inaugural ceremony of 15th Bangladesh Denim Expo said that Bangladesh needs to double its denim export to achieve US$ 100 billion export target by 2030 that fixed by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) early this year. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, MP, said “Bangladesh is the 2nd largest apparel...