Shamarukh Fakhruddin, director of Urmi Group, represented Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector at a regional UN forum on sustainable and inclusive business growth.
The UN Global Compact’s “Forward Faster Now | APAC 2026” forum was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 11–12 August, according to a press release.
The Asia-Pacific forum brought together business leaders, sustainability professionals, policymakers and UN representatives from across the region
Participants explored how businesses could accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth amid a rapidly changing global environment.
Bangladesh’s participation reflected the growing importance of sustainability in the country’s manufacturing and apparel supply chains.
As a major manufacturing and apparel-sourcing destination, Bangladesh’s sustainability progress is increasingly tied to the resilience, responsibility and transformation of its wider supply chain.
Fakhruddin participated in two leadership discussions during the forum.
She joined the CEO Leadership Panel titled “Business Unusual: CEO Leadership in a Changing World Order”.
The panel examined how business leadership must evolve in response to economic, environmental and geopolitical changes.
Representatives from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia also attended the panel.
Fakhruddin also participated in a session titled “Empowering SMEs and Supply Chains: From Engagement to Transformation”.
During the session, she shared insights from Urmi Group’s decarbonisation programme, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and its efforts to involve small and medium-sized enterprise suppliers in the transition.
The discussion stressed that sustainability efforts could not stop at the factory gate.
Meaningful transformation requires companies to work closely with suppliers, SMEs and other value-chain partners to build the capabilities needed to integrate responsible practices into daily operations.
“The sustainability journey is not something any one organisation can undertake alone,” Fakhruddin said.
“It requires collaboration across businesses, supply chains and communities. Our responsibility is to keep learning, sharing and moving forward together,” she added.
Urmi Group said the Colombo forum offered an opportunity to share its experience, learn from regional peers and contribute to discussions on responsible business and sustainable growth.
Fakhruddin’s participation also reflected the work of Urmi Group’s Sustainability, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Compliance and Production teams.
The teams operate under the strategic guidance of Urmi Group Managing Director Asif Ashraf.
The company said its participation reinforced its commitment to responsible manufacturing, climate action and resilient supply chains.
It also brought Bangladesh’s experience into a regional sustainability dialogue that is increasingly important to businesses across Asia and beyond.
