Compliance in Textile & Clothing Sector in Bangladesh: difc...

http://www.textiletoday.com.bd/magazine/printable.php?id=508

Editorial
Issue: October , 2012

Compliance in Textile & Clothing Sector in Bangladesh: difculties in understanding and implementation
Abrar A Apu Co-ordinator, BTT Technical Team

Compliance means 'acting according to certain accepted rules and standards'. Textile and Clothing (T&C) Compliance indicates international formulated standards and guidelines for the said industries. Social compliance and environmental compliances are most common compliance in use and understanding. Social compliance standard is formulated to ensure better working environment, working hours, working days, no discrimination, freedom of association and collective bargaining. Environmental compliance standard is formulated to ensure environmental laws in industries and in broad sense to control pollution of water, land, air and optimum use of water, energy and resources. Social Accountability (SA) 800, Social Responsibility (for Life), Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), WRAP (Worldwide Responsible for Apparel Production), Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), Clean Cloth Campaign (CCC), Fairtrade (Fair for Life), Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) are some examples of Social compliance standard and ISO 14001, Oeko Tex Standard 1000 are examples of environmental standard.Some compliances standards are formulated for T&C industries to ensure sustainability, like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), Bluesign, EU Flower, and etc. The term 'compliance' started to get popular in Bangladeshi T&C sector in the mid of 80's. The concept penetrated in T&C industries with the aim of ensuring labor rights. More than two and half a decades has passed away and in the mean time number of T&C industries increased multiple times, number of manpower raised to about five millions from only 44000 in mid 80's. The industry started very small, but now the industry is considered as prominent backbone of our economy through fetching about 86% foreign currency of its total exports in the nation vault every year. Our T&C sector is based on 'quantity rather than quality' and thus the concept of compliance remained premature in the industry, except few well functioning T&C companies. The main competitors, namely China, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are doing better than Bangladesh in term of implementing compliance in T&C sector. The competitors are concentrating on 'quality rather than quantity' and some of them are developing own CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) standards for global uses after maturing in compliance (labor, environment and resources) implementation.While Labor unrest (labor compliance) due to poor wages is the primary concern in T&C industrial sector of Bangladesh, where global T&C producers, suppliers and retailers are implementing strategies to ensure zero discharge of harmful chemicals from their textile supply chains by 2020. GSP facilities followed by tax-free export, tax reduction, lower tariff and non-tariff for LDC textile products and one of the lowest labor wages, cheaper electricity and gas have supported Bangladesh to export its products globally. Compliance issues have been overlooked by the international organization, as Bangladesh was a struggling country with its huge number of population. But the requirements of compliance from the international buyers have changed along with price and quality of products. Thus several global brand retails have warned Bangladesh to ensure basic labor rights (Social compliance) and step-by-step implementation of all the compliance criteria in the industries. It is a fact that our T&C businessmen/entrepreneurs/owners have been doing very good business in terms of profits since long, but why do they neglect/avoid/fail to ensure compliance criteria in their businesses? There are several internal and external factors that have direct influence failing to implement the compliances in the industries. Internal factors of the industry can be included as absent of the compliance department as it may consider as a department of wasting money without gaining any instant financial benefits; the company may not getting appropriate experts who have sound knowledge of the issues and their implementation. External factors are- absent of concern organizations that may conduct awareness programs through relevant industrial organizations (say, BKMEA, BGMEA, BTMA, BTMC, and etc.); lack of proper training institutes; lack of government concerns; absent of research organization in the relevant issues, no common platform to share experiences and therefore no release of recommendations for better implementation of the concepts. Concept of compliance in textile and clothing industry is being enriched day by day to improve social and environment standards and to make better business/profits. There has been seen significant improvement in the said factors along with awareness is growing among stakeholders in this sector. The first and important way is to introduce and teach this issue as compulsory course in the relevant education brunches. Students from the field of textile engineering and fashion design need professional skills in processing technologies and product design, but also adequate information on environment-related problems, training to the industry's people, and PGD courses for mid to top-level managers of textile and clothing industries. Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) has been offering program on compliance. Contributionin the form of workshops, seminars, conferences as well as written papers/articles from experts who are trained, skilled and experienced in implementing compliance in the industry is must to make understand workforces and therefore to improve compliance situation in the factories.

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Bangladesh Textile Today Issue: October , 2012

1 of 2

29/11/2012 21:21

Compliance in Textile & Clothing Sector in Bangladesh: difc...

http://www.textiletoday.com.bd/magazine/printable.php?id=508

Editorial
Issue: October , 2012

BTT Subscription : BDT 1,000(12 issues) KBTC Membership: BDT 5,000(5 years) Call: 88-02-9863105

Bangladesh Textile Today Issue: October , 2012

2 of 2

29/11/2012 21:21