From the Sector

On 5th September 2023, the Amsterdam: Best of Bangladesh Europe’ started in the venue of Wastergas in Amsterdam. The 2-day nation branding event was organized by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), with support from the Embassy of Bangladesh, Ministry of Commerce, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh and in association with PDS.

Tipu Munshi, MP, Commerce Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Michiel Sweers, Vice Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Kingdom of the Netherlands; Shahriar Alam, MP, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Md Siddiqur Rahman,  Former president of BGMEA; M Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands; Leslie Johnston, Chief Executive Officer, Laudes Foundation; Pallak Seth, Founder & Vice Chairman, PDS Limited; and Mostafiz Uddin, Founder & CEO, Bangladesh Apparel Exchange; attended the inaugural ceremony of the ‘Best of Bangladesh’.

Three MoU were signed in the inaugural for the development of the industries of Bangladesh.
The 1st MoU was signed between Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO). The 2nd MoU was signed between Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Apparel Impact Institution. The 3rd MoU was signed between Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Oxfam.
More than 35 companies from various fields, including apparel, textiles, agriculture, handicrafts, and other sectors, participated in the initiative.

The event held six interactive panel sessions on the topics "Bangladesh – Perspectives from an Emerging Economy", "Sustainable Sourcing Realities: Challenges, Achievements & Next Steps”, “Empowering the Future: Advancing Safety & Well-being for Garments Workforce in Bangladesh", "Bangladesh Agro-Food: A Next Opportunity for Collaboration", "Impact Investing - The Next Frontier", and “Sustainable Synergy: Circular Economy, Climate Action & Bangladesh’s Future".

A Bangladesh Innovation Runway was presented by Pacific Jeans at the event. The Bangladesh Innovation Runway showcased the ability of the country in producing high end, sustainable and innovative apparel products.

Bangladesh will stage the world’s first climate conference for the fashion industry this autumn, on 12 October. The Bangladesh Climate Action Forum will convene policy makers, garment manufacturers, fashion retailers and other industry stakeholders to look at solutions for decarbonising global textile supply chains.

The event will focus on technological and financial challenges around reducing emissions. Most of the world’s leading fashion brands have now set ambitious targets for reducing supply chain emissions. These targets relate to 2030 by which time many brands aim to reduce emissions by 50 per cent, and 2050 where most fashion brands aim to be carbon neutral.

The Bangladesh Climate Forum Action will examine causes of climate crisis, its urgency, impacts we have already seen, and what we can expect under both businesses as usual and rapid decarbonisation scenarios.

Also presenting at the event will be the Government of Bangladesh, which will address Bangladesh’s actions to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change and is ranked the seventh extreme disaster risk-prone country in the world according to a report from the Global Climate Risk Index 2021. Tropical cyclones, tornadoes, floods, coastal and riverbank erosion, droughts and landslides are the major climate-induced hazards in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Climate Forum Action will also look at approaches towards decarbonization, including NetZero goals and timelines. Speakers will discuss globally recognised pathways for electricity/transportation/industry decarbonisation.

Renewable energy will also be under discussion. If fashion brands are to hit climate targets, it is imperative that supply chains switch to renewable energy and away from gas and fossil fuels. The event will look at challenges around the de-carbonisation of the electricity grid in Bangladesh, as well as the rate of transition toward renewable resources by garment factories, including solar power.

A key element of the event will be evaluation of practical solutions for Bangladesh’s RMG industry. It will profile specific solutions such as energy efficiency, machine upgrades, the electrification of thermal loads, direct power purchase agreements and biomass fed thermal systems. It will also discuss the challenges faced in the industry including business climate (and cycles), pricing, financing challenges, target setting and execution, policy opportunities, knowledge gaps and availability/scaling of solutions.

Financial challenges around decarbonisation of supply chains are significant, and it is far from clear who will pay for the technological upgrades required. While some investment support systems exist – such as lower interest financing – these are not always available, accessible or affordable for the majority of the RMG companies.

The event will explore financial options, changes to business/pricing models, opportunities for de-risking/underwriting investments, direct investment and other tools that need to emerge to address financial challenges and plug the funding gap. The event will also explore opportunities to decouple climate action from business cycles so that the 2030 targets can be met.

On June 9, Hohenstein celebrates World Accreditation Day (WAD2023) along with 30 years as an accredited testing laboratory. In 1993, Hohenstein’s first lab received official certification to test textile products competently, reliably and impartially according to internationally recognized standards. With the expansion of its testing business, the company, headquartered in Boennigheim, Germany, has since gained numerous other accreditations for its global laboratories.

"The accreditations give our customers confidence that we comply with the required quality control procedures," says Julia Seeberg, who as Head of Quality Management also oversees the regular monitoring of the laboratories by DAkkS, the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle. “Everything possible is done to ensure the integrity of the test results.” In addition to DAkks accreditations of the testing laboratories for textile technological, biological, chemical and physical tests, Hohenstein is accredited as a certification and inspection body. Hohenstein's 75 years of expertise in the testing business complement its accreditation and provide an important basis for its long-standing customer trust.

Hohenstein laboratories in China, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and India have accreditations from the respective national and international accreditation bodies. The labs celebrate World Accreditation Day by highlighting the importance of accredited laboratories for the product quality and sustainability. "The demands of suppliers and consumers have increased," Julia Seeberg also notes. “For manufacturers to remain credible, it is even more imperative to demonstrate compliance with defined and standardized quality criteria.”

The globally valid quality standard for testing and calibration laboratories is DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. The standard specifies general requirements for the competence, impartiality and uniform working methods of laboratories that operate internationally. Accreditations in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020 and 17065 exist for the inspection and certification bodies. In addition, Hohenstein is an accredited testing laboratory for medical devices, where biological, chemical and physical laboratory tests are carried out. These tests form the basis for conformity with the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR).

"Policy makers need to consider that global dimension."
 
EURATEX released its 2023 Spring Report, which analyses latest trade flows for textiles and clothing products.

In 2022, EU trade in textiles and clothing has exceeded, for the first time in history, the €200 billion mark. This record growth of total trade is mainly due to a sharp increase of clothing imports (+36,6% in value), especially from China and Bangladesh, which outweighs Europe’s positive export performance. As a result, the EU’s trade deficit in textiles and clothing has increased to €70 billion, which is 48% higher than the year before.

Such a growing deficit is a cause for concern; the objective of the EU’s Industrial Strategy to strengthen resilience and “strategic autonomy” is not happening. Instead, the dependency has increased, and becomes critical in certain raw materials and fibres.

It also challenges the Commission’s ambition is to promote – and prevail – high quality and sustainable textile products on the Single Market – regardless where they have been produced. With imports now reaching €140 billion, it will be a challenge to effectively control the quality and compliance over these imports. Market surveillance will need to be stepped up massively, without becoming a barrier to trade.

The efforts on the EU’s export performance need to be strengthened, so as to rebalance the European trade relations with the rest of the world. EU companies are world leader in high end fashion products and in technical textiles. More needs to be done to support their activities in established markets but also emerging economies. For instance, the ongoing FTA negotiations with India should focus on improving market access and ensure “fair” competition with local companies.

The EURATEX Spring Report highlights significant differences between trade in value and in volume. EU’s export of textile products has increased by 13% in value, but actually dropped by nearly 7% in volume. This obviously reflects the very high inflation figures from last year, caused initially by the rising energy prices and changing central bank policies. This in turn leads to uncertainty with the consumer, resulting in low demand and gloomy prospects for the entire value chain.

Director General Dirk Vantyghem commented on these latest figures: “This report confirms once again that “textiles” is one of the most globalised sectors of the European economy, and hence the importance of taking that global dimension into account, when designing EU and national policies. Failing to do so may have a devastating effect on the global competitiveness of the European textile industry.

Looking forward, he added: “It is essential to stabilise inflation, restore consumer confidence and ensure a level playing field for all operators in the textile industry. On that basis, European companies can prosper and offer quality jobs to 1.3 million workers”.

Since 1 April 2023 sales and service of Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machines in Bangladesh have been under new management. A new dynamic team “Mayer Bangladesh” has been formed. Mayer & Cie.’s longstanding Indian representative Batliboi has joined business activities in Bangladesh since the beginning of the month, supported by the team of Brady Services and by Almani Biz.

In Batliboi, Mayer & Cie. has set up a business partner of many decades standing as its representative in Bangladesh. For around 40 years Mumbai-based Batliboi has overseen sales and service of Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machines in India. Abhay Sidham heads Batliboi’s Textile and Machinery Group. He and his team have many years of experience in strategic marketing, and a focus on sustainability and processing recycled raw materials is part of Batliboi’s expertise.

These competences are of relevance in the Bangladesh market because “we face strong competition from Asian manufacturers here,” as Wolfgang Müller, Mayer & Cie.’s sales director, explains. The premium market was growing smaller, and the trend was toward specialities – value-added fabrics, spacer fabrics and athleisure with a high proportion of elastic. Mayer & Cie. sees in these requirements significant potential for its machines – and in Batliboi a partner able in view of its experience to put them to optimal use.

One building block in the set-up of Mayer & Cie. representatives is unchanged. Brady Services will continue with Batliboi to contribute its close ties with the local market. A significant number of existing companies will continue to be looked after by Brady Services.

The new member in Mayer Bangladesh team is Dhaka-based Almani Biz. A lubricants specialist for circular knitting machines Almani Biz has a wide network with Bangladesh knitting industry.

Mayer & Cie. feels well positioned by this new set-up. “We,” Wolfgang Müller says, “are of the opinion that the market for textile machinery in Bangladesh will continue to grow and we are confident that by strengthening our sales, service and marketing team we will be able to make good use of this opportunity.”

Customers in Bangladesh have placed large orders in the past. The latest, placed in January, was for several dozen machines to be delivered this autumn. Further orders from Apex and BEXIMCO (Bangladesh Export Import Company) are also scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2023.

While reorganising the set-up of its representatives in Bangladesh Batliboi has also taken over as Mayer & Cie.’s representative in Nepal, where the company had previously had no local representative. There is a demand for machines for interlock, 8-lock and single jersey, but sales are still in single figures.

Price Trends

• The nearby cotton futures contract on the Intercontinental Exchange was down just 1% in December and closed the year at $1.84 per kilogram. A year earlier, the March contract closed at $2.30 per kilogram.  
  
  Cotton futures have been inverted for nearly three years because of supply chain disruptions that prevented normal on-time deliveries of international shipments. With the easing of container shortages and increased sailings, cotton futures are gradually reverting to the normal pattern in which contracts for forward delivery exceed nearby contracts by the cost of insurance, storage and interest between delivery months. The May and July 2023 contracts also finished 2022 at $1.84 per kilogram. In November, the May and July contracts were each several cents per kilogram lower than the March contract.
• The Eastern Market Indicator of prices for fine wool in Australia rose 9% in December to US$9.06 per kilogram. A year earlier, the EMI was $9.66. Australian analysts note that sheep for meat, cattle, and grain production, are competing alternatives for the use of land, and wool prices must continue upward if production is to be maintained in 2023.
• Prices quoted by the Indian Jute Balers Association (JBA) at the end of December converted to US$ fell 2% from a month earlier to an average of 74 cents per kilogram. The decline occurred entirely because of a weakening exchange rate. Prices in Rupee rose marginally. A year earlier, quoted prices averaged 84 cents per kilogram. The 16-percent decline year-on-year was caused about equally by a decline in quoted prices in Rupee and a weakening of the exchange rate.  
  
  The Indian jute industry is almost entirely focused on domestic demand, while half of total demand in Bangladesh comes from exports. Because of shortages of higher quality jute, export prices in Bangladesh are reportedly rising.
  (https://www.wgc.de/en/produkte/jute)
  
  India extended the anti-dumping duty at the end of December on jute and jute products imported from Bangladesh and Nepal for a period of five years. Bangladesh had urged the Indian government not to accept recommendations for extension, while the Indian industry was lobbying to ensure the duty remained in place. The duty rates range from approximately $6 per tonne at current exchange rates for low-quality fibres to $350 per tonne for finished products. The duty was originally imposed in January 2017 and was to expire at the end of 2022.
• Prices of silk in China rose 2% during December to US$28.0 per kilogram. Prices in yuan fell marginally during the month, but the RMB rose 3% against the USD. Prices of textile-grade silk in China were essentially unchanged at the end of 2022 compared with the end of 2021. However, prices closed 2022 about 40% above the average level pre-Covid. https://www.sunsirs.com/uk/prodetail-322.html and  https://businessanalytiq.com/procurementanalytics/index/raw-silk-price-index/ .
• Coconut coir fibre in India quoted in US$ remained in a narrow range, averaging $0.205 per kilogram in December. Prices in Rupee have been stable, and changes in dollar prices reflect changes in the exchange rate.

 
Production
 
World Natural Fibre Production in 2022 is estimated as of early January at 32 million tonnes, approximately one million below production in 2021 and down 900,000 tonnes compared with the estimate in early December.

World cotton production is estimated at 24.2 million tonnes in 2022/23 (August to July), 700,000 tonnes lower than in 2021/22 (ICAC.org). World cotton production rose from 20 million tonnes to 25 million between 2020/21 and 2005/06, but there has been no growth in the nearly two decades since.  
 
World production of jute is forecast down nearly 400,000 tonnes in 2022 because of inadequate rainfall during the harvest period to permit proper retting. Production in India is estimated up by 100,000 tonnes to 1.7 million tonnes, but production in Bangladesh fell by nearly one-third to just one million tonnes.
 
Production of coir, flax and sisal in 2022 are each estimated based on recent trends. Coir and flax have each been trending upward over the past decade, while world sisal production has been largely stable.

World wool production is forecast up 5% in 2022 to 1.09 million tonnes (clean), the highest since 2018. The Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee issued its third estimate of 2022/23 production in December, keeping the estimate unchanged from September. Above-average rainfall in Australia, and across most of the Southern Hemisphere, is resulting in better pasture conditions and a rebuilding of sheep numbers. Sheep numbers shorn in Australia are climbing from 67 million in 2020/21 to 72 million in 2021/22 and to an estimated 75 million in 2022/23. https://www.wool.com/market-intelligence/wool-production-forecasts/  
 
According to the International Sericulture Commission (https://www.inserco.org/), silk production in China dropped from 170,000 tonnes in 2015 to 53,000 in 2020, with further declines estimated during Covid. Consequently, world silk production dropped from 202,000 tonnes in 2015 to 92,000 in 2020, and estimates of production during 2022 remain below 100,000 tonnes.

With the opening of another laboratory in Shanghai, China, testing service provider Hohenstein is growing its international network. Starting in the first quarter of 2023, the new textile laboratory in the Pudong District industrial park will supplement the Hong Kong laboratory capacity with testing and on-site inspection services in the hot spots of textile production.

The new laboratory will offer suppliers, manufacturers, brands, and retailers a wide range of testing service on textile quality. "Hohenstein stands for innovation and quality. We are very pleased to celebrate another milestone in our international expansion, while following these principles," said Prof. Dr. Stefan Mecheels, who is the third generation to lead the family-run company. "No matter where the examinations, tests and analyses are carried out, all our laboratories work with state-of-the-art equipment and the same high standards."

The laboratory locations in Germany, Hungary, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, India and now Shanghai, offer shortened turnaround and sample transport times. In some locations, Hohenstein offers sample pick up services from the customer to the lab for testing.

World Natural Fibre Production in 2022 is estimated at 32.6 million tonnes, down 1.1 million tonnes from the estimate one month ago. Production reached 33.3 million tonnes in 2021 and 31.6 million in 2020.

A drought in Texas where over half of cotton produced in the United States is grown, and flooding in Pakistan, the fifth largest cotton producer, account for the decline (www.ICAC.org).

• Nearby cotton futures on the Intercontinental Exchange rose 14% from the end of July and finished August at $2.60 per kilogram.
• The Eastern Market Indicator of wool prices in Australia, fell 1% from mid-July to mid-August to US$9.27 per kilogram.
• Prices of jute fibre in India quoted by the Jute Balers Association (JBA) at the end of August converted to US$ fell 4% from a month earlier to 79 cents per kilogram.
• Prices of silk in China equalled US$ 28.7 per kilogram at the end of August, compared with US$29.5 per kilogram in July 2022, a change of 3%.
• Coconut coir fibre in India held at US cents 21 per kilogram in August.

World production of jute and allied fibres is estimated unchanged at 3.2 million tonnes in 2022 compared with 2021. High market prices in 2021 motivated farmers to expand planted area in both Bangladesh and India, but dry weather during June and July will limit yields per hectare. Normal monsoon rains resumed in South Asia during August, too late for the 2022 jute crop (https://www.wgc.de/en/).

Production of coir fibre rose by an average of 18,000 tonnes per year during the past decade, and production was at a record high of 1.12 million tonnes in 2021. Production is expected to remain high in 2022.

Flax has also been trending upward, rising by an average of 27,000 tonnes per year, and production in 2022 is estimated to remain above one million tonnes.

World wool production is forecast up by 5% in 2022 to 1.09 million tonnes (clean), the highest since 2018. Wetter weather in the Southern Hemisphere, following eight years of drought, is allowing farmers to rebuild herds (https://www.wool.com/market-intelligence/).

Natural fibres are heavily-traded commodities, and supply chain disruptions are causing significant economic losses as freight costs remain high and deliveries are delayed.

About 40% of world cotton production moves as fibre in international trade each season. Over half of world jute production moves as fibre or product, and around 55% of world wool production is exported as raw wool. Abaca, flax, and sisal are also heavily traded.

Most natural fibre exports traverse back-haul ocean freight routes from the Western Hemisphere to East Asia and the Middle East, from South Asia to East Asia and Europe, from Africa to East Asia and the Middle East, and from Australia and South Africa to China. Such routes are relatively underserved in the best of times, and reduced sailings since the start of Covid are restricting trade volumes.

As of the end of August, Freightos (https://fbx.freightos.com/) quoted the cost of moving a 40’ container from the United States West Coast to East Asia at $793, compared with $1,020 in March 2022. Nevertheless, average freight costs on back -haul routes used by natural fibres remain approximately triple their pre-covid levels. In addition to ocean freight costs, inland transportation is also affected by high fuel prices and a lack of containers. As one example, charges for inland handling of export containers in Bangladesh, the largest exporter of raw jute, increased by 48 per cent during August.

• Growing geographic separation between cotton production and textile manufacturing since the 1990s

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a comprehensive study about Chinese cotton in August 2022. The authors, Fred Gale and Eric Davis, concentrate on textiles, imports and Xinjiang.

China is the world’s largest textile manufacturer and the largest cotton consumer, but changes in China’s economy are reshaping the geography of its cotton-textile sector. Nearly all of China’s cotton is produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), also known more simply as Xinjiang.

Their study reviewed the regional patterns of China’s cotton textile industry development and identified growing geographic separation between cotton production and textile manufacturing since the 1990s using data from Chinese sources. The study investigated spatial patterns of demand for imported cotton by analyzing lists of Chinese companies applying for a share of the import quota from 2016 to 2022. Multiple regression analysis was used to control for potentially confounding influences when investigating whether companies in coastal provinces were more likely to use imported cotton than similarly sized companies in other regions.

Textile manufacturers — the main consumers of cotton — are concentrated in coastal and central regions where the share of China’s cotton production fell from over 50 percent to 10 percent during 2011–21. These geographic changes are a factor influencing global trade in cotton and textiles. Additionally, the use of forced labor in Xinjiang attracted more attention to the industry, prompting the United States and other countries to ban products produced in the region.

This study reviews the economic, geographic, and policy factors reshaping the industry and influencing the global trade of cotton and textile products. The study also examines data on Chinese companies applying for a share of China’s cotton import quota to gain insight about the demand for imported cotton.

China became the world’s largest producer, consumer, and importer of cotton soon after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. Despite adopting a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system for cotton imports and issuing supplemental quotas in most years, the large number of cotton goods manufacturers that request shares of the quota suggests demand for imported cotton exceeds  the quota.

While the TRQ was intended to protect China’s cotton farmers, many farmers abandoned the labor-intensive crop as wages rose rapidly in many other industries and other crops produced higher returns. In response, officials encouraged cotton production in the relatively remote region of Xinjiang to prevent China from becoming reliant on imported cotton. Xinjiang growers receive a subsidy payment for cotton, and subsidies for machinery and seeds. A transportation subsidy induces textile manufacturers in eastern and central regions to purchase cotton from Xinjiang, which is about 2,200 to 2,900 miles from most of the country’s textile manufacturers. Financial support and other incentives encourage manufacturers to shift operations to Xinjiang.

Textile manufacturers in China are highly interested in importing cotton due to its lower price and quality. China imports about 20 percent of its cotton, and the United States is a chief exporter of cotton to China. While imported cotton is used in all provinces, manufacturers near the eastern seaboard show a greater propensity for imports. Nevertheless, in all regions, domestic cotton has the largest share of mill use.

Between 2016 and 2022, 1,581 companies applied for a share of the TRQ, and 265 companies applied in all 7 years. Most of these companies also applied for supplemental quotas issued with slightly higher tariffs. This large number of applicants suggests that imports could be even greater if quotas did not limit them. The operation of the quota application process is not public information, but data submitted by applicants suggests access to imported cotton is uneven. About 14 percent of applicants said imported cotton comprised over half of the cotton they used. Another 20 percent of companies requesting import quota did not use any imported cotton, suggesting that many applicants are unable to import. Textile manufacturers coped with limits on cotton imports by increasing their use of synthetic, chemical-based fibers or by importing cotton yarn. From 2000 to 2020, China’s yarn imports doubled from under 1 million metric tons to around 2 million metric tons with Vietnam supplying about 45 percent of that total in 2020.

The number of textile manufacturers in Xinjiang applying for a share of the cotton import quota rose from 37 to 68 between 2016 and 2022. However, imports constituted less than 2 percent of  the cotton Xinjiang applicants reported using—and 66 percent of them reported using no imported cotton—suggesting that applications from Xinjiang textile companies were often denied.
Analysis found that applicants in coastal provinces used more imported cotton than similarly sized applicants in other regions. Each location of a multi-plant company must apply separately for tariff-rate quotas. Textile manufacturers in Xinjiang that requested a share of the import quota included branches of some of China’s largest textile companies, but the analysis found that Xinjiang applicants used less imported cotton than similar manufacturing plants located in other regions. China’s role as a cotton importer appears to have peaked, while other countries are increasing their share of imports.

USDA baseline projections suggest that by 2030 Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Turkey will together account for 47 percent of the world’s cotton imports while China will only account for 24 percent. The study cam be downloaded from the USDA website.

• Made in Bangladesh Week is organized by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in partnership with Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE)
• A week-long event in November will showcase sustainability strides being made by Bangladesh garment makers
• The event will host 17 physical events like - conferences, expositions, photo exhibitions, fashion runway shows, sustainable design and innovation awards, factory tours –and many more.

The Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, will inaugurate the first ever Made in Bangladesh Week in November. The event represents a major branding exercise for Bangladesh’s burgeoning garment manufacturing industry as it looks to position itself as the first-choice apparel sourcing hub for global fashion retailers.

It is the first branding event of the Bangladesh Apparel Industry dedicated solely to celebrating and showcasing the newest innovations, compliance, and sustainable developments of the RMG sector in the global market.

The event aims to promote the apparel industry of Bangladesh locally and globally by showcasing the compelling stories of the ready-made garments sector, especially its impressive strides in the areas of workplace safety, environmental sustainability and workers’ wellbeing.

The event is expected to draw a gathering of more than a thousand people from home and abroad, including key stakeholders in the local and global fashion industry.

Bangladesh’s garment manufacturing industry has undergone a renaissance in recent times. Significant strides have been made in technological innovation, eco-friendly production, worker welfare and factory safety.

In addition to panels, seminars, awards, fashion shows and exhibitions, the week will also provide an opportunity for factory tours to give journalists and other stakeholders a chance to see for themselves innovative garment production in Bangladesh.

Made in Bangladesh Week will be organised by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in partnership with Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE).