Desk Report: The Ministry of Commerce is preparing a National Chemical Management Guidelines for the textile and garments industry of Bangladesh. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is helping Ministry of Commerce to develop this guideline. A broader consultation session was organized by the Ministry of Commerce on 2 January 2022 to share the draft guidelines with the stakeholders and gather their suggestions on the draft guidelines. The guideline will give textile and garment factories guidance to resource efficient management of chemicals in a way that is safe for the people working in the factories and at the same time environment friendly.
Although Bangladesh is in the second position for quite a long time now as far as export of Textile and Garments in the global market, there is no national guideline governing the management of chemicals. Consequently, the textile sector is forced to comply with different standards set by different fashion brands. A comprehensive national guideline on chemical management would help address this challenge. The draft guidelines have been developed through separate consultation with the main stakeholder groups.
The consultation session was presided over by Mst. Kamrunnaher, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Commerce. Mr. Md. Hafizur Rahman was present as the chief guest while Mr. Asif Ashraf, Director. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporter Association (BGMEA) Mr. Md Fazle Ehsan Shamim, Vice President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Associations (BKMEA), Mr. Abdullah Al Mamun, Vice President of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), and Mr. Werner Lange, Cluster Coordinator – Textile, GIZ Bangladesh, addressed the session as special guests.
Representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Industries, and Ministry of Labour and Employment took part in the discussion. Besides, representatives from business associations including – Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporter Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Associations (BKMEA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) and BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT), textile and garment factories, representative from different international brands, chemical manufacturer and suppliers, and local and international service providers took part in the consultation session. The keynote presentation was made by Dr. Abbas Uddin, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department (Dyes and Chemicals), Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) and Dr. Shoeb Ahmed, Professor (Chemical Engineering), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Should you have any queries and need explanation please contact Mr. Faisal Rabbi at 01711150640
