Kamruzzaman Bablu :
Bangladesh’s textile industry, the second-largest garment exporter globally, faces an escalating environmental and economic dilemma. A substantial share of the industry’s production cost is due to water use, as garment manufacturing is a water-intensive process.
Fresh groundwater is extensively extracted for fabric processing, with estimates indicating that the sector consumes over 1,500 billion liters of water annually-a number that continues to grow with the industry’s expansion.
Yet, even as production costs climb due to supply chain crisis, resource scarcity and rising environmental compliance costs, international buyers continue to push for lower garment prices. This imbalance places a strain on local manufacturers and Bangladesh’s natural resources, threatening sustainability and future production.
According to industry data, producing a 1kg of cotton fabric can consume as much as 200 liters of water. Given Bangladesh’s annual garment export of nearly 4 million tons, the water footprint is staggering.
Much of this water comes from groundwater sources, which are becoming increasingly depleted. Dhaka, where many textile factories are concentrated, has seen groundwater levels fall by more than 3 meters per year, pushing production costs higher as factories are forced to dig deeper wells.
Despite these rising expenses, buyers offer only the cost of making (CM) without acknowledging the environmental impact or resource cost. For Bangladesh’s industry leaders, this is a grave concern, as ignoring the value of natural resources sidelines both sustainability and fair pricing.
“Most of our industries depend on gas and fresh groundwater supply for smooth and uninterrupted production. But now days, most of the factories are facing the inadequate supply of groundwater. This way, apparel and textile makers are bound to use the surface or reserve water to mitigate the crisis,” Brigadier General (Retd.) Md Zakir Hossain, Secretary General of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), told The New Nation on Thursday.
Sources said, global fashion brands have set ambitious targets to improve their supply chain sustainability. For instance, several major European buyers have mandated a 30 per cent reduction in water usage by 2030, which would require significant investment in advanced treatment technologies. However, these requirements are often unaccompanied by financial support, leaving Bangladeshi manufacturers to shoulder the high costs of transitioning to sustainable water practices.
This contradiction between buyers’ demands and their pricing strategies has created a double bind for manufacturers, who are squeezed between environmental expectations and economic realities.
According to The BTMA, If country’s garment sector is to continue supplying international markets sustainably, buyers must acknowledge the value of the resources involved and adjust pricing accordingly. A fair pricing model should reflect not only the labor and manufacturing costs but also the substantial environmental expenses, especially water use.
International buyers need to collaborate with local manufacturers by providing fair compensation for resource use, co-financing sustainable technology upgrades, and supporting local efforts in water conservation.
A shift toward equitable pricing that values natural resources can set a new standard for the global fashion industry, ensuring that Bangladesh’s textile industry continues to grow without depleting its vital natural resources.
