From the Sector

The Bangladesh Climate Action Forum 2024 was held at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel on 10^th October 2024. Over 450 delegates from across the globe came together to foster dialogue, collaboration, and actionable strategies to advance Bangladesh's sustainability goals.
The Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) organized the forum as a pivotal platform uniting industry leaders, government officials, climate advocates, innovators, brands, development organizations, policymakers, and academics.

The theme of this year's Bangladesh Fashion: Driving Collective Climate Action highlighted the urgent need for sustainability within the fashion and apparel sector. The forum was significant as a catalyst for dialogue and collaboration among various stakeholders. Enhancing climate leadership and technical skills makes the forum crucial in propelling the nation toward a sustainable and resilient future.

In his opening remarks, Mostafiz Uddin, Founder & CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, said:
“You care about the planet, you care about the country, and that is why all of you are here today. All of you are my inspiration. Climate action is no more a burden. For entrepreneurs, it's a business opportunity.”
“This is how I think. For all of you, you all love Bangladesh and want to eliminate poverty and disasters. Cheap labor is no longer a competitive advantage for Bangladesh. If we as entrepreneurs do not achieve the target set by our clients, we will not be able to succeed. To achieve the targets, the manufacturers need more shared responsibility, collaboration, and support.”

This year’s event featured keynote addresses, panel discussions, presentations, and workshops, where more than about 42 national and international experts shared insights on building a climate-resilient and carbon-neutral future through collaboration and innovation and the launch of two significant initiatives occurred during the event: the Soldiered 'Better Mills Initiative' and the OnetrueSOLar Fund. In addition, key presentations focused on Solar Rooftop System Optimization, Thermal Energy System Optimization, and Clean by Design: Lessons from Bangladesh and Impact. dedicated to enhancing sustainable practices in Bangladesh. Key partners supported the forum included the Apparel Impact Institute, Cascale, the European Union, GIZ, H&M, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, PDS Limited, and Target.

The event unites many contributors such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the Bangladesh Power Management Institute (BPMI), the Embassy of Denmark in Bangladesh, the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh, ILO, Laudes Foundation, Oxfam in Bangladesh USAID Bangladesh.

Additionally, an engineering workshop showcased the expertise of industry-leading organizations, including Armstrong Fluid Technology, Forbes Marshall, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, Illukkumbura Industrial Automation (Pvt) Ltd., and Jinko Solar. Over 300 engineers from apparel manufacturing units participated, gaining practical strategies to drive sustainability and decarbonization efforts within their organizations.