Industry leaders stress that renewable energy is no longer a luxury, calling for stronger government support, coordinated energy infrastructure and shared responsibility to safeguard the industry’s global competitiveness.
Bangladesh’s garment and textile industry needs collective action, coordinated energy infrastructure and long-term investment to overcome the ongoing energy crisis and accelerate its transition to renewable energy, leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) said at a conference in Chattogram on 2 November 2026. They stressed that individual factory initiatives alone would not be sufficient to secure the industry’s energy future and maintain its competitiveness in global markets.
The call came at the third Rapid Energy Transition Conference: Powering Security, Sustainability & Growth in Bangladesh RMG, organised by Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Bangladesh at Hotel Agrabad, Chattogram. Building on previous conferences in Dhaka and Narayanganj, the event brought together 85 participants, including 70 factory representatives, eight members of BGMEA and BKMEA’s leadership based in Chattogram, along with industry experts, banks and renewable energy service providers. The inaugural speech also highlighted worker perspective in this transition by convenor of Worker-led Climate action network, MD. Hasan Ali.
Industry representatives highlighted that factories face increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and meet international buyers’ sustainability requirements. However, limited access to renewable energy, inadequate infrastructure and financing constraints continue to hinder progress. Participants stressed that the transition requires coordinated efforts from manufacturers, industry associations, government agencies, financial institutions, global brands and workers.
Enamul Aziz Chowdhury, Director and Acting Vice President of BGMEA and Managing Director of HK TG Garments Ltd., said the current energy crisis had exposed the vulnerability of Bangladesh’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and reinforced the need for a more sustainable energy system.
“Renewable energy and carbon reduction are no longer simply environmental agendas or corporate social responsibility initiatives. They are directly linked to our industry’s ability to survive and remain competitive in global markets,” he said.
He emphasised that the industry must move beyond temporary responses to the energy crisis and prepare for changes in the global trade environment, particularly Bangladesh’s upcoming graduation from least developed country (LDC) status and increasingly stringent environmental and climate-related requirements in export markets. He added that manufacturers could not undertake this transition alone and would need government support, accessible green financing, technical assistance and long-term partnerships with global brands and buyers.
Md Yasin, Director of BKMEA and Managing Director of Sonnet Group of Companies Ltd., echoed the urgency, highlighting how energy insecurity, global economic pressures and changing international market requirements were creating challenges for the sustainability of Bangladesh’s RMG industry.
“Renewable energy transition is no longer a luxury. It has become a global necessity for the long-term survival of our industry,” he said.
He urged manufacturers to use the preparation period before LDC graduation to improve energy efficiency, accelerate renewable energy adoption and strengthen compliance with emerging global sustainability standards.
The conference highlighted the importance of extending energy transition efforts beyond Dhaka to major industrial regions such as Chattogram. As one of Bangladesh’s key industrial and commercial centres, Chattogram has a substantial garment, textile and export-oriented manufacturing base, including factories within and beyond export processing zones. Participants noted that energy challenges in the region directly affect production continuity, operating costs and export competitiveness. They called for solutions that address the region’s specific infrastructure, investment and operational needs.
A key concern raised during the discussions was that rooftop solar installations alone might not be sufficient for factories to meet the growing renewable energy requirements of international buyers. Participants called for broader solutions, including expanding off-site renewable energy generation, enabling factories to purchase renewable electricity from external producers, decarbonising the national grid and introducing more effective incentives for factories supplying surplus solar power.
Closing the conference, Lt Comd. Md Kutubuddin BN Retd., Additional Secretary of BGMEA, highlighted the potential to use available land in Chattogram, including potentially unused spaces within export processing zones, for renewable energy generation and supply to the national grid.
Md. Althaf Uddin, Senior Joint Secretary (Admin) of BKMEA and Member of the Labour Court, Chattogram, emphasised the need for long-term planning to ensure the industry can sustain its operations over the next five to ten years. Drawing on the garment industry’s collective efforts to strengthen factory compliance following the Rana Plaza incident, he said similar cooperation would be necessary to secure energy sovereignty in Bangladesh. He also highlighted the potential for developing planned industrial zones with coordinated energy supply arrangements, particularly for factories currently scattered across different parts of Chattogram.
Representing the workers’ perspective, Md. Hasan Ali, Convenor of the Worker-led Climate Action Network (Worker CAN) and President of the Youth Committee of the Bangladesh National Trade Union Federation (BNTUF), stressed that the renewable energy transition must protect workers’ rights, employment and livelihoods alongside production and business competitiveness.
“This industry belongs to all of us. If factory owners engage workers and trade unions in the transition process, we can play an effective role in making the industry more sustainable,” he said.
Highlighting Worker CAN’s advocacy for responsible purchasing practices and accountability in the energy sector, Hasan Ali emphasised that workers must be recognised as active stakeholders in designing and implementing the industry’s green transition. He also welcomed the initiative to bring the conference to Chattogram, stressing that climate action and renewable energy transition must extend across the country’s major industrial regions.
Sharing the factory-level perspective, Daulat Hossan, Manager – HR, Admin and Compliance at LCB International (BD) Ltd., said renewable energy transition must be realistic, affordable and aligned with individual factories’ operational and financial capacities. He called for factory-specific energy roadmaps, stronger management commitment and greater government support to translate sustainability objectives into achievable investments and measurable improvements.
Munir Uddin Shamim, Director – Programme, Evidence & Learning at ETI Bangladesh, also emphasised the need for systemic change rather than isolated factory initiatives. He highlighted ETI Bangladesh’s role in connecting industry stakeholders, including BGMEA, BKMEA, global brands and worker leaders, and leveraging these relationships to advocate for policy and systemic changes that can accelerate renewable energy transition.
The conference featured two working sessions examining the drivers of the energy crisis, the urgency of renewable energy transition and available financing and technology pathways.
In the first session, Jannatul Ferdaus, Research Officer at ETI Bangladesh, outlined the global, national and sectoral factors driving the energy crisis and their impacts on factory operations, supply chains and workers’ livelihoods. Sadia Rowshon Adhora of the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) presented the environmental, social and economic benefits of solar power. Tahzibul Hoque, Assistant General Manager, Engineering Department at Pacific Jeans, shared factory-level practices and the company’s progress towards renewable energy and sustainable production through reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The second session brought together financial institutions and renewable energy service providers to explore practical investment opportunities for factories. Saiful A. Chowdhury of BRAC Bank PLC and Gultekin Binte Azad of City Bank PLC presented green financing and refinancing opportunities. Nure Alam, Chief Executive Officer of the Greener Garments Initiative (GGI), discussed renewable energy technologies and third-party financing arrangements that could help factories address the barriers associated with upfront investment costs.
The discussions identified several priorities for advancing the industry’s energy transition. These included strengthening collaboration among BGMEA, BKMEA, government agencies and other stakeholders to address policy and implementation barriers; exploring shared energy infrastructure and coordinated supply arrangements in Chattogram’s industrial zones; expanding renewable energy solutions beyond rooftop solar through grid decarbonisation and external renewable electricity procurement; and developing practical, factory-level energy transition roadmaps alongside improved energy efficiency.
The conference was held as a part of ETI Bangladesh’s initiative, “Promoting Just Transition & Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh’s RMG Sector.
