The ready-made garment (RMG) industry is the foundation of Bangladesh’s economy, accounting for 84 percent of exports and providing direct employment to around 5 million people. Despite its significant contributions, RMG sector is also a major source of environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. To ensure sustainable growth, it is essential to improve energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and adopt sustainability practices. Improving energy efficiency could bring substantial benefits, including cost savings and reduction in carbon emissions. However, the industry faces challenges such as technological and knowledge gaps and limited incentives and investment priorities in energy efficiency.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global CO₂ emissions related to energy production reached a new high of over 36.8 billion tonnes in 2022. The textile and garment sectors contribute significantly to global emissions, with Bangladesh’s RMG sector being a key source of CO₂ emissions in the country. Making production more energy efficient and integrating renewable energy can significantly reduce these impacts.

Solidaridad (solidaridadnetwork.org), a global network organization supported by the Dutch government, has been working to ensure the sustainability of the Apparel sector by promoting efficient resource use, improving social and environmental compliance, and establishing resilient production practices in the Apparel Industry.

Solidaridad commissioned ESTex Foundation (estexbd.com) as a technical partner to develop a Policy Paper on Energy. ESTex is an environmental and technology-based research organization specializing in research, training, and advisory services focusing on industrial sustainability and environmental management.

Solidaridad and ESTex are jointly conducting a survey to gather insights from stakeholders, including manufacturers, brands, associations, NGOs, academic institutions, and technical service providers. This survey will help develop a policy paper to enhance energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy practices within the RMG sector. The ultimate goal of this policy paper is to support the apparel, textile, and spinning industries in Bangladesh by enhancing energy efficiency, encouraging renewable energy integration, advancing technological innovation, and improving process controls. By optimizing these factors, this sector can reduce fossil fuel dependency and decrease overall carbon emissions, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient production framework.