Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed says nearly 300 green readymade garment (RMG) factories are under construction apart from the existing 67 factories. A total of 67 RMG factories have so far been certified as ‘green factories’ by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and of them 17 factories are included as the platinum class. The commerce minister also informed that the world’s best seven factories out of the 10 certified by the USGBC are situated in Bangladesh.
He says there is no direct rule on green factory in Labour Law and Labour Rules. As per a compliance report (January 2017-December 2017) of the Factory and Organisation Inspection Directorate, the number of “A Grade” RMG factories are 436 and the “B Grade” are 228. The programmes for ensuring compliance by making the RMG factories environment-friendly and including them in ‘green factory concept’ gradually are underway.
