More than half of top 100 Leed-certified factories in BD
Business Report :
Bangladesh has become the home of 51, or more than half of the world’s top 100 US Green Building Council’s (USGBC)-approved leadership in energy and environmental design (Leed) certified green industrial units.
On February 10, Ananta Garments and Sportswear Ltd of Ashulia in Savar received a platinum certificate from the USGBC for the Leed O+M: Existing Buildings v4.1 rating system with a score of 89.
Due to the investments on the environmentally friendly manufacturing facilities of the local manufacturers, so far 188 factories in the country’s garment industry presently have the Leed certification, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Moreover, five factory units have already achieved Leed certification in 2023 and in 2022, a total of 30 factory units received Leed certification, the highest in a year.
Currently, the local RMG sector has consolidated its position in green manufacturing units with 64 in the platinum category, 110 in gold, 10 in silver and another 4 Leed-certified factory buildings, BGMEA stated.
An additional 550 factories are either registered or in the pipeline for USGBC’s Leed certification, reported the apex body of the apparel sector.
Among top 10 Leed-certified factory units of the world, eight are from Bangladesh, a BGMEA official said.
The factory units of Bangladesh have been obtaining the Leed certificate since 2001.
The USGBC credits factory units based on several criteria including transformation performance, energy, water, and waste management and the best performers are rated with platinum, followed by gold and silver.
These criteria help green factories significantly to reduce operational costs over time even though they may initially cost more to set up, according to industry insiders.
These factories also provide a safe working environment for employees.
Experts said that Bangladesh’s garment industry is now poised to take the lead globally by addressing mounting issues of sustainability, climate change, groundwater depletion and efficiency.
The growing number of green apparel factories will give Bangladesh a vantage ground to cope with EU green deals and due diligence directives stated by both the experts and the businesses.
While talking, Mohiuddin Rubel, director of BGMEA, said that at this time despite worrying about orders and exports, manufacturers are continuously branding the country through Leed-certified factories.
“Moreover, there are things like a safe workplace, employers safety which are swelling our strength. Amid the global turbulent economic situation, these brandings are serving us to cope with the losses as we are better positioned than our competitors,” he added.
He also said that the entrepreneurs are working determinedly to continue this branding which made them a better source to the buyers.
“When the world situation will be better, we will be ahead of everyone,” he added.
According to apparel manufacturers, the move towards green factory buildings helped regain Bangladesh’s image after the Rana Plaza tragedy, which claimed 1,134 lives and left more than 2,000 injured in 2013.
