BGMEA opens RBH cell to bolster human rights
Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has inaugurated the Responsible Business Hub (RBH) cell aiming at strengthening human rights and environmental due diligence in the country’s apparel sector.
The cell has been set up in cooperation with the GIZ FABRIC as sustainability and social responsibility become increasingly important in the business world.
The corporate firms worldwide are facing intensified due diligence duties to analyze and mitigate the negative impacts of their operations on people and the environment.
The RBH will serve as an information centre, raising awareness and providing guidance to manufacturing companies on the standards and requirements of Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD).
BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim, Deputy Head of Mission of Embassy of Germany in Dhaka Jan Janowski, BKMEA Vice-President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan and BGMEA Director Abdullah Hil Rakib, among others, were present at the inaugural ceremony in Dhaka on Sunday.
Reinhard Junker, Deputy Head of Division Sustainable Supply Chains of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) presented the keynote speech at the event.
In his address, Shahidullah Azim said BGMEA has taken the sustainability vision 2030 to make the industry economically viable through innovation, digitization, and diversification by prioritizing on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).
“I believe, the BGMEA’s Responsible Business Hub will serve as an information centre by providing all up-to-date knowledge and proper guidance to our factories about human rights and environmental due diligence obligations,” he said.
He also said, “When we talked about the emerging due diligence, there are too many laws and regulations getting passed every day regarding the same issue. We need a unified principle-based legislation which is accepted by all the players in global supply chain.”
The RBH will support garment factories in strengthening capacities to adapt and comply with new regulations and reporting requirements with regard to due diligence and sustainability.
It will assist the companies in integrating environmental and human rights due diligence in their operations in order to prevent and address negative impacts of business activities on people and the environment.
In response to these new mandatory laws on sustainability due diligence, the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham), supported by GIZ FABRIC and the Textile Apparel Footwear and Travel Goods Association in Cambodia (TAFTAC), has established Cambodia’s first Responsible Business Hub (RBH).
In response to these new mandatory laws on sustainability due diligence, the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham), supported by GIZ FABRIC and the Textile Apparel Footwear and Travel Goods Association in Cambodia (TAFTAC), has established Cambodia’s first Responsible Business Hub (RBH).
