Postgraduate Diploma in Knitwear Industry Management (PGD-KIM)

BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University

Intake-06, Batch-16
Course: KIM 201 (Introduction to Garments Industry - Knitwear)

Assignment on Importance of Green & Sustainable system in the

Textile Industry of Bangladesh

Submitted By:
Submitted To:
Dr. Md. Rafiqur Rashid Shiblu Miah

EDC, BIGD ID: 21181004

BRAC University
Topics - Importance of Green & Sustainable system in the Textile Industry of Bangladesh

Introduction
We are living in a beautiful world. From the beginning we are using the resources from this earth
for surviving this world. And these resources are not unlimited to use. It will be finished very
fast if we cannot use it properly. We are also developing our tools and techniques for surviving
in this world without thinking about this world health. By wastage the natural resources, we are
not only threatening our lives but also making threat for the future generation as well as for this
world. So it is the time to think about this world and our generations and here the words comes
―Sustainability‖.

Sustainability
As referred from investopedia.com, Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept
of sustainability is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social—also known
informally as profits, planet, and people. Increasingly, companies are making public
commitments to sustainability through actions like reducing waste, investing in renewable
energy, and supporting organizations that work toward a more sustainable future.

As per UNDP, 17 sustainable goals are given below -

How does textiles and fashion affect sustainability?
Today’s world is known as the fast fashion world. We are too much likely to change our clothes
and fashion very fastly. It is one of the main reasons for making more wastage. The fashion
industry has a disastrous impact on the environment. In fact, it is the second largest polluter in
the world, just after the oil industry. And the environmental damage is increasing as the industry
grows.

However, there are solutions and alternatives to mitigate these problems. The first step lies in
building awareness and willingness to change.

FASHION & WATER POLLUTION

In most of the countries in which garments are produced, untreated toxic wastewaters from
textiles factories are dumped directly into the rivers.

Wastewater contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others. These
are extremely harmful for the aquatic life and the health of the millions people living by those
rivers banks. The contamination also reaches the sea and eventually spreads around the globe.

Another major source of water contamination is the use of fertilizers for cotton production,
which heavily pollutes runoff waters and evaporation waters.
FASHION & WATER CONSUMPTION

The fashion industry is a major water consumer.

Huge quantity of fresh water are used for the dyeing and finishing process for all of our
clothes. As reference, it can take up to 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric.

Also, cotton needs A LOT of water to grow (and heat), but is usually cultivated in warm and dry
areas. Up to 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce just 1kg of cotton. This generates
tremendous pressure on this precious resource, already scarce, and has dramatic ecological
consequences such as the desertification of the Aral Sea, where cotton production has entirely
drained the water.

From Stephen Leahy, The Guardian - 85 % of the daily needs in water of the entire population of
India would be covered by the water used to grow cotton in the country.
100 million people in India do not have access to drinking water.

FASHION & MICROFIBERS IN OUR OCEANS

Every time we wash a synthetic garment (polyester,nylon, etc), about 1,900 individual
microfibers are released into the water, making their way into our oceans. Scientists have
discovered that small aquatic organisms ingest those microfibers. These are then eaten by small
fish which are later eaten by bigger fish, introducing plastic in our food chain.
FASHION & WASTE ACCUMULATION

Clothing has clearly become disposable. As a result, we generate more and more textile waste. A
family in the western world throws away an average of 30 kg of clothing each year. Only 15% is
recycled or donated, and the rest goes directly to the landfill or is incinerated.

Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, are plastic fibers, therefore non-biodegradable and can take
up to 200 years to decompose. Synthetic fibers are used in 72% of our clothing.

FASHION & CHEMICALS

Chemicals are one of the main components in our clothes.

They are used during fiber production, dyeing, bleaching, and wet processing of each of our
garments.

The heavy use of chemicals in cotton farming is causing diseases and premature death among
cotton farmers, along with massive freshwater and ocean water pollution and soil degradation.

Some of these substances are also harmful to the consumer (see section about toxicity).
FASHION & GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

The apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions.

The global fashion industry is generating a lot of greenhouse gases due to the energy used during
its production, manufacturing, and transportation of the millions garments purchased each year.

Synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic, nylon, etc.), used in the majority of our clothes, are made
from fossil fuel, making production much more energy-intensive than with natural fibers.

Most of our clothes are produced in China, Bangladesh, or India, countries essentially powered
by coal. This is the dirtiest type of energy in terms of carbon emissions.

FASHION & RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION

Every year, thousands of hectares of endangered and ancient forests are cut down and replaced
by plantations of trees used to make wood-based fabrics such as rayon, viscose, and modal.

This loss of forests is threatening the ecosystem and indigenous communities, as in Indonesia
where large-scale deforestation of the rainforests has taken place over the past decade.
Fast fashion quick to cause environmental havoc-
 The fashion industry is one of the biggest in the world, accounting for 2% of global Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). Unfortunately, it’s also now one of the biggest polluters in the
world—second only to oil. The reason? Fast fashion.
 Fast fashion retailers grew by 9.7% between 2010 and 2015 which is deeply concerning
from a sustainability perspective.
 Globally, we now consume about 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year—400%
more than we were consuming just two decades ago. Paradoxically, the more we love
buying clothes, the more we seem to love either not wearing them or disposing of them—
the average UK shopper only wears 70 per cent of what’s in their wardrobe and throws
out 70 kilograms of textile waste annually.
 The environmental impact of this behaviour is significant: the clothing and textile
industry is depleting non-renewable resources, emitting huge quantities of greenhouses
gases and using massive quantities of energy, chemicals and water. The synthetic fibres
often favoured by fast fashion brands, such as polyester, nylon and acrylic, are basically a
kind of plastic made from petroleum, which means they could take up to a thousand
years to biodegrade.
 Even the simple act of washing synthetic clothes is harmful—according to a 2011 study,
a single synthetic garment can generate more than 1900 micro plastic fibres in one
washing machine cycle.
 Fast fashion is harmful from a social perspective, too. According to an April 2016 Oxfam
report, more than 60 million people work in the garment industry to fuel fast fashion:
more than 15 million of those are based in Asia and more than 80% are women, often
young and from poor rural backgrounds. Asia supplies more than 90% of the garments
imported into Australia.

Despite these shocking facts and figures, the outlook isn’t entirely grim. More and more fashion
brands, many of them major, are obtaining ethical accreditation from Ethical Clothing Australia
(ECA), and organization’s such as Fashion Revolution are helping to clean up the industry. And,
importantly, there are plenty of steps you can take as a conscious consumer to prevent the spread
of fast fashion—because the more we avoid it, the less of a market there is for it.
Pollution in Bangladesh
Pollution has become the first enemy of the mankind. Industrial revolution of 19th century led to
environmental disaster. The whole world is now more afraid of pollution rather than nuclear
blast. Technological advancement has brought revolutionary changes in life style and national
economy with overwhelming power over nature. The protection of environment has become a
major issue around the global for the well-being of the people and economic development. The
present environmental condition of Bangladesh is not at all equilibrium. Severe air, water and
noise pollution are threatening human health, ecosystems and economic growth of Bangladesh.
Air pollution caused due to increasing population, burning fossil fuels, industrialization and
associated motorization. The water pollution caused due to industrialization. The under
ground water of Bangladesh has been polluted due to arsenic. The inhabitants of major cities of
Bangladesh are also exposed to high level of noise pollution. Environmental degradation of
Bangladesh is also caused due to poverty, over-population and lack of awareness on the subject.
It is manifested by deforestation, destruction of wetlands, soil erosion and natural calamities.
Water pollution in Bangladesh

The backbone of the Bangladesh economy, it's textile industry while providing employment is
also polluting the lifelines of the deltaic country
In Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, the government has declared three rivers as ―biologically dead‖
due to the effluent from surrounding garment factories. The Chilai River of the Gazipur district
has become heavily polluted because of contamination from illegal structures, settlements and
factories built on its banks. While others on the death throes are Buriganga Turag, Shitalakkhya,
Balu and Bangshi with no dissolved oxygen left in its water. That is because the country has
grown into a cheap clothing manufacturing hub of the world. But poor regulation of the industry
is taking a toll on its rivers and the health of the poor who live nearby.

Bangladesh’s textile and apparel industry represents over 83% of the country’s total exports and
more than 45% of employment, making it not only the largest contributor to the country’s export
earnings, but also the largest source of employment. It is projected that the annual ready-made
garment (RMG) export value of the Bangladeshi textile industry will be about $50 billion per
year by 2021 from a current $30 Billion approximately.

However, as the textile and apparel industry in Bangladesh continues to boom, the pollution
caused by textile and apparel manufacturing also becomes increasingly serious.
Water pollution is currently the number one challenge faced by the fast-growing textile and
apparel industry in Bangladesh. In 2021, textile industries in Bangladesh will produce about 2.91
million metric tons of fabrics. In relation to that in 2021, around 349 million m3 of wastewater
will be produced using conventional dyeing practices.

According to the research from the Natural Resources Defences Council (NRDC), industrial
pollution accounts for 60% of pollution in the Dhaka watershed, and the textile industry is the
second largest contributor. Textile manufacturing in the country has a huge environmental
impact, generating as much as 300 metric tons of wastewater per ton of fabric, with a host of
harmful chemicals.

Another study conducted by the Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) shows that 719 washing,
dyeing and finishing factories in Bangladesh discharge wastewater to rivers in its capital city,
Dhaka. Despite being surrounded by four rivers, Dhaka’s water supply to its 18 million residents
is being threatened by the extremely high levels of pollution.

Wastewater contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others. These
are extremely harmful for the aquatic life and the health of the millions of people living along
those rivers’ banks. Groundwater is also being contaminated with seeping toxic substances, such
as chemicals like cadmium and chromium and other elements such as mercury carried by
industrial waste. Such contamination of both surface and groundwater is posing a serious health
crisis for city dwellers. Serious diseases are on the rise. Gradually, the contamination reaches the
sea and eventually spreads around the globe.
Fig – Water pollution rate and rating in Bangladesh

Fig - Air Quality index in Bangladesh

Why Sustainability is essential for the apparel sector in Bangladesh?
―Bangladesh’s garment industry is not just important for Bangladesh but it is important for whole
global textile industry,‖ Pierre Borjesson, head of sustainability- global production of H&M
group, said while addressing at the opening session of the program. Borjesson said Bangladeshi
ready-made garment sector is the wonder of success and it shows how the industry can ensure
betterment of the people: ―We need to continue the progress and keep in mind that workers are
the key force of the success.‖

Sustainability in textile industry has become an extensively debated issue due to the nature of the
industry. Textiles are considered globally as one of the most hazardous both to environment and
society if not operated in a controlled way. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh textile industries still
has a huge scope of improvement. Without being sustainable the survival of the textile industries
is becoming difficult. The first reason behind the current situation of the industries is the lack of
knowledge on the concept of sustainability. The following info graphics is aimed at answering
the question: how the textile and apparel industry of Bangladesh can be developed in a
sustainable way?

Textile is one of the most hazardous engineering processes. Especially the wet processing
industry produces a huge amount of effluents that is polluting our water base extensively. So the
sustainable development of the textile industries must be keeping in mind the negative impacts
on environment and proper mitigation plans must be implemented. To achieve sustainable
development these are the five principles that the industry must adopt. But achieving all these are
associates with costs. Business cannot adopt sustainable principles compromising the
competitiveness. That is the balance the industry must find out to adopt sustainable practices
gradually so that the additional costs associated with going sustainable doesn’t affect the
competitiveness.

Going green in the textile industry is a good idea for anyone who would like to make their
business more sustainable. You cannot afford to purchase raw materials every year that are rising
in cost, and you must find a way to recover or recycle resources that are best for your company.
There are several other things you can do to make your facility green, and there are interesting
ways that you can impact the supply chain, handle logistics in a sustainable way, and invest in
the organic production of natural fibers.

The first world countries already taken several steps to go green and more focus on
sustainability. If Bangladesh cannot match with them or do not walked with the same way they
walked then the textile business also will transfer in different countries. Without that we also
have the responsibility to make this world better for the future generations. So we should take
steps as early possible.
Sustainability in Bangladesh textile and apparel industry
Sustainability has often been defined as only an environmental issue. But, the 21st-century
definition of sustainability goes far beyond these limits. In the present day, it refers to a
balancing act that meets the need of the present without compromising the well-being of future
generations. For textile and apparel industry, one of the basic industries, sustainability means to
ensure environmental, social and economic balancing in the business process.

2018 has been a long and eventful year, where textile and garment sector saw an enormous
growth. Sustainability has been the most uttered word throughout the year and it was not only
discussed, a number of significant developments were happened in the gamut. However,
progress has been made more in the environment and social sustainability but not in economic
sustainability. The economic sustainability is also equally important like other two elements.
Without settling economic sustainability how could the textile and apparel manufacturers ensure
environment and social sustainability? Manufacturers cannot ensure them for a long time without
upholding economic sustainability.
Bangladesh, the second largest ready-made garment exporter in the world, has taken a leading
position in sustainable green industrialization with the world’s several top-ranked Green
factories. Bangladesh already has become a role model for Green Manufacturing of textile and
garment in the world.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Bangladesh’s RMG sector now has 67
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green factories. Among them 13 are
LEED Platinum rated while more than 280 garment factories in Bangladesh would get the LEED
certification soon.

In South Asia, Bangladesh has taken the lead in green initiatives. LEED Platinum certified
factories are: Tarasima Apparels, Plummy Fashions, Vintage Denim Studio, Columbia Washing
Plant, Echotex, SQ Celsius Unit 2, Kaniz Fashions, Genesis Washing, Genesis Fashions, SQ
Birichina, SQ ColBlanc, Envoy Textiles Ltd and Mithela Textile Industries Limited (MTIL).

What can create positive impact on sustainable textile industry in Bangladesh

Corporate responsibility matters

You must have a corporate responsibility initiative that will guide what your business does. You
must sit down with your board of directors to discuss how you will go green. Your company may
choose to use solar power in the processing facilities, harvest natural fibers in a more responsible
way, and even ensure that your water run-off is clean. Each of the steps listed below will shape
your corporate responsibility initiative.

Filtering run-off water

The harvesting and washing of natural fibers can be a dirty process. When you are washing your
herds, you must ensure that you are using only water or cleaning detergents. You cannot allow
dirty water to go back into the soil. You cannot use chemicals to clean these fibers because those
chemicals will be transferred into the air when you dry these fabrics. You are doing twice the
damage to the environment, and you must filter any excess water that leaves your processing
plant because that water cannot be filled with chemicals.

Renewable energy
Your company uses quite a lot of energy in is facilities, and you need solar or wind energy to fill
in the gaps. Your company can save quite a lot of money by using renewable energy, and you
can set up all your systems to run on solar or wind power. You can even buy something like a
solar powered water pump to bring water into your facility from a nearby source. If you are using
renewable energy, you are doing your part for the planet. Your customers can see that you are
doing the right thing, and you can use these tactics as part of your sales pitch.

Recycling
If you choose to use recycled materials, you are not taking so many resources from the
ecosystem around you. It is quite expensive to raise and harvest wool or other fibers. It is
damaging to the environment to buy cotton because of the farming that is involved. You can turn
to more responsible forms of manufacturing, and you can transform all your facilities by using
these different styles of manufacturing in each new facility.

When you have improved your manufacturing, you will begin to produce less byproducts, create
less dirty water, and make products that are not harmful to the environment once they are thrown
away.

Consider work conditions

You must ensure that your working conditions are as good as you can possibly make them. The
factories and facilities that you manage must have clear air, and the facilities must not produce
any extra waste that is difficult to dispose of. You may turn to composting to collect all your
natural manufacturing products, and you can even create a section for recycled materials that you
can reuse in your own plant. This is a very simple way to go green, and you can insist that all
your partners do the same.

Improving the supply chain

When you are working with the same suppliers for a long period of time, most of you get quite
comfortable with your arrangement. You can ask your suppliers if they are going green in their
own manufacturing processes. You cannot force your suppliers to go green, but you can ask
them if they are taking steps to go green. For the most part, you will see a change in all your
suppliers if you speak to them frankly about how your company has chosen to go green.

Logistics
The logistics companies that you work with should also go green. However, you are not forcing
these companies to go green. You simply want to show these companies that going green might
be a good idea for everyone. You may choose to get your natural fibers from a company that
transports its animals in a safe way, or you may use a logistics company that uses natural gas-
powered trucks. You simply need to decide what is best for you. When you are making these
decisions, you can convince your partners to go green. In this way, your corporate responsibility
plan includes an initiative to help other companies go green.

Conclusion

Sustainability is much more than a trending word at a certain time. The three key elements of
sustainability are; economic and social development, environmental protection, and each one
each one should be considered in relation to the others. Sustainability is very crucial because it
maintains people quality of life with protecting diversity and ecosystems in the world with
various ways; protecting natural resources, providing energy savings, decreasing waste quantity,
investment in the future and economy with recycling/reusing. Namely, it ensures the existence of
species. A contemporary and secure business environment is created by respecting human rights,
securing the social justice and protecting the working rights within the scope of sustainability.
Cleaner production is not just a buzzword, but also one of the basic approaches to sustainability.
It is a systematic approach that involves identifying pollution-causing processes and technologies
that lead to the inefficient utilize of energy and raw materials, revealing points that need
improvement, and implementing cleaner production opportunities.
There are international organizations and institutes around the world to ensure cleaner production
and therefore sustainability. The policies pursued in these institutions are generally European
Union environmental policies, but various tools can be used depending on the application areas
of cleaner production. The policies pursued in these institutions are generally european Union
environmental policies. On the basis of their own domestic regulations, the European Union
(EU) promote the adoption of stringent environmental policies at the international level with
legislations based on different issues. The EU is also leading the shaping of policies about the
environment in non-member countries. The choice of which tools are used to determine the use
of cleaner production opportunities according to their application areas depends on the problem
in operation and the work to be done.

The lifelong ecological impacts of textile products are affected by the raw materials, their origin
and the durability of the product, in addition to the production methods. The picture that emerges
when the use of textile products from raw materials and their subsequent environmental effects
are very striking because of their chemical, energy, water usage, packaging and solid waste
production, the formation of unpleasant odors and noise pollution. Increased textile consumption
due to improvements in the world population and improvements in living standards along with
the environmental effects of the textile, require the improvement of the environmental
performance of this industry. In this sense, the concept of sustainability has become a matter of
concern in the textile sector.

Nowadays Bangladesh is the 2nd largest readymade garments exporter all over the world. The
export earnings of this sector also increasing day by day. The countries growth also depends on
this sector. But till now we are not thinking too much about sustainability. We also have the
responsibility to make this world better for our future generation. We cannot ignore this
responsibility. Going green and sustainable also has a positive impact to our buyers also. Few of
the textile industries of Bangladesh already practicing on green and sustainability system on their
textile business. If the textile business owners take this issue seriously and work on it, we will
see a positive result.

References -

1. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sustainability.asp
2. https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts
3. https://sustainability.uq.edu.au/projects/recycling-and-waste-minimisation/fast-fashion-
quick-cause-environmental-havoc
4. https://me.buet.ac.bd/icme/icme2009/Proceedings/PDF/ICME09-RT-19.pdf
5. https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/bangladesh-textile-and-apparel-industry-needs-to-focus-
more-on-economic-sustainability/
6. https://medcraveonline.com/JTEFT/textile-industry39s-environmental-effects-and-
approaching-cleaner-production-and-sustainability-an-overview.html