At the 2025 edition of Sustainability Day, hosted by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Bangladesh, Urmi Group unveiled the fifth edition of its flagship sustainability report—Urmi Navigator 5.0. More than just a report, Navigator 5.0 reflects Urmi’s evolving commitment to transparency, accountability, and alignment with global sustainability standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Developed in-house, Urmi Navigator serves as the company’s own SDG compass—a strategic tool that tracks progress across environmental, social, and community-focused goals. Now in its fifth iteration, it helps Urmi align day-to-day operations and long-term strategy with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while ensuring compliance with evolving international regulations.
Held at The Westin Dhaka’s Grand Ballroom, Sustainability Day 2025 convened a diverse mix of stakeholders—including representatives from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, international brands, NGOs, manufacturing organizations, industry leaders, service providers and academia—to explore how innovation and collective action can catalyze a more sustainable future for Bangladesh.
Urmi Group’s presence at the event reinforced its role as a changemaker in the industry. Through an interactive booth, the company showcased its progress across three core sustainability pillars: People, Planet, and Community. Visitors engaged with stories and data points highlighting circular production, inclusive hiring, and workforce well-being—bringing the impact of Urmi Navigator 5.0 to life.
In the closing address, Ms. Shamarukh Fakhruddin, Director of Urmi Group and Board Member of the UNGC Bangladesh Network, emphasized the urgent need for corporate readiness around upcoming global frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD). She shared how tools like Urmi Navigator 5.0, built on the GRI Standards, position the company to stay ahead of these expectations—by embedding transparency into every level of the organization.
Earlier in the day, Mr. ABM Faqrul Alam, Sustainability Lead at Urmi Group, joined a high-level panel discussion titled “Circularity and Beyond”, alongside peers from UNDP, the Embassy of the Netherlands, and other sustainability leaders. Mr. Alam discussed Urmi’s practical efforts in circularity, while calling for greater policy support, including incentives, technology transfer, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, to enable wider adoption of circular practices in Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector.
Key initiatives spotlighted throughout the day included:
- A 100% female-led production line
- Inclusive recruitment of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and ethnic minorities, with a roadmap to ensure they comprise at least 1% of the workforce
- Increasing representation of female supervisors in production operations
- Employee well-being programs such as Suhrid Pharma (subsidized medicine), paternity leave, on-site physiotherapy, and a strong culture of employee recognition and belonging
With the launch of Urmi Navigator 5.0, Urmi Group is reinforcing its role as a frontrunner in sustainable manufacturing—proving that transparency, innovation, and inclusivity are not just values, but business imperatives.
As Bangladesh stands at a critical crossroads in its sustainability journey, Urmi continues to lead by example—building systems that are not only compliant with global expectations, but also rooted in purpose and people.
