The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and H&M Group entered into a deal today to attempt a transition towards a circular and climate neutral garment industry in Bangladesh by reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent.

Helena Helmersson, CEO of the fashion retailer, and Faruque Hassan, president of the BGMEA, inked the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Dhaka on developing and implementing a strategic roadmap, according to a BGMEA statement.

"We need to collaborate and take joint responsibility of our industry…we will be able to accelerate the well-needed change of the industry and together tackle shared challenges," said Helmersson.

Helena Helmersson, CEO of the fashion retailer, and Faruque Hassan, president of the BGMEA, pose after signing a memorandum of understanding for carbon emission, at a programme in Dhaka today. Photo: BGMEA

"I hope this collaboration will add pace to our journey toward sustainability," said Hassan.

"This partnership also reflects the strong commitment of Bangladesh's apparel industry to grow in a sustainable manner to have positive impacts on the industry, the economy and climate," he said.

Bangladesh produced 169.06 million tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission in 2021 and it will be 409.41 million tonnes by 2030, according to data from Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

The global fashion industry emitted about 2.1 billion tonnes of GHG, which is equivalent to about 4 per cent of total global GHG emission, said a study by McKinsey in 2018.

The fashion industry has to reduce its GHG emissions by 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent by 2030. Bangladesh's national contribution to global GHG emission is 0.45 per cent.

"The collaboration between H&M Group and the BGMEA will play an important role in accelerating the green growth of the RMG industry in Bangladesh," said Alexandra Berg von Linde, Swedish ambassador to Bangladesh, who attended the event.

The government of Sweden and the Swedish embassy in Dhaka would like to see the garment industry of Bangladesh continue its progress in the area of sustainability in the coming days, and will extend cooperation to accelerate the green growth of the industry, Linde said.

From H&M Group, Ziaur Rahman, Faisal Rabbi, Yosef El Natour, Karin Lind and Adam Karlsson were present at the MoU signing ceremony.

The event was also attended by BGMEA vice-presidents Shahidullah Azim and Miran Ali, directors Shehrin Salam Oishee, Inamul Haq Khan and Neela Hosna Ara and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud.