On 10 November 2025, the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) jointly held the Multistakeholder Dialogue on Building a Sustainable Future for the Tannery Sector in Bangladesh: Revisiting Challenges to Explore Collective Opportunities in Dhaka.
The event was organised under the project “Improving Environmental and Social Conditions in the Savar Tannery Estate”, which conducted environmental and social assessments in 40 factories located in the Savar Tannery Estate. The dialogue presented the findings of these assessments, reviewed lessons from the global Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) guide, and facilitated discussions among participants to identify joint solutions.
Attendees included representatives from government bodies, industry associations, brands, financial institutions, development partners, and worker unions.
Speakers from Mondial FNV, ETI Bangladesh, Bangladesh Labour Foundation, UNCTAD, and SouthSouthNorth addressed the role of multi-stakeholder engagement in tackling compliance, access to finance, and environmental performance.
The session also shared the results of the social and environmental assessments and the HREDD guidelines developed specifically for the Bangladesh tannery sector.
Participants discussed ways to strengthen cooperation, improve policy coordination, and advance green and socially responsible practices. Recommendations included: improving factory compliance and certification to increase market access; enhancing collaboration between factories, associations, unions, and government bodies to support a green transition; removing barriers to finance for smaller factories; encouraging financial institutions to offer more green financing while upholding compliance standards; introducing government-supported low-interest loans and subsidies; improving the operation of the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and waste management systems; adopting an approach that combines environmental responsibility with workers’ rights; aligning policies across frameworks such as the National Action Plan and Human Rights Due Diligence; creating a unified sectoral roadmap for sustainable transformation based on accountability, good governance, and inclusivity.
The dialogue built on previous initiatives and reinforced cooperation between national and international partners in the Bangladesh leather sector.
