A delegation from Associated British Foods (ABF), led by its chief executive George Weston, met with BGMEA President Faruque Hassan to discuss options for extending the company’s business base in Bangladesh and potential collaboration in attaining shared sustainability goals.
The delegation also included Matt Rhodes, manager of Primark, Paul Marchant, CEO of Primark, and Paul Lister, CFO of ABF.
A press release today stated that the meeting, which was held on August 16 at the BGMEA Complex in the capital’s Uttara, was attended by BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Faisal Samad, Navidul Huq, Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Press, Publication and Publicity Shovon Islam, and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Trade Fair Mohammad Kamal Uddin.
They talked on themes of shared interest, such as how to work more closely with Bangladeshi suppliers to generate more innovative, high-value products and enhance environmental performance.
Faruque Hassan, president of the BGMEA, gave a general review of Bangladesh’s ready-to-wear industry during the meeting, focusing on its current position in the global market, vision, advancements in worker safety, environmental sustainability, and circular fashion.
Additionally, he highlighted the RMG sector’s Sustainability Strategic Vision 2030 for Bangladesh, describing how it takes into account all relevant ESG problems for the industry and is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Faruque informed the delegation of the steps being taken to improve environmental and human rights due diligence in Bangladesh’s RMG industry.
The president of the BGMEA presented information on the state of Bangladesh’s clothing exports to the UK market as well as opportunities to increase market share.
He also gave the ABF delegation an overview of the sector’s top priorities, which include innovation, technology advancement, product diversification, talent development, and circularity in an effort to address the sector’s most pressing issues and boost its competitiveness on the world market.
Faruque Hassan thanked ABF and Primark for making Bangladesh one of their top sourcing markets and urged them to acquire more clothing, particularly expensive products and clothing manufactured with artificial fibers, from the nation.
George Weston, the chief executive of ABF, lauded the improvements made by Bangladesh’s RMG business in terms of environmental sustainability and occupational safety.
He also praised the BGMEA for its endeavors and work to advance the apparel sector. He underlined the desire of Primark to give Bangladesh more attention as their market for sourcing.
Both parties expressed a desire to intensify their cooperation on pertinent subjects such as sustainability, manufacturing competitiveness, worker welfare, and education.
