Research

This research is a joint initiative of the Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change (STITCH) Consortium in Bangladesh, consisting of Ethical Trading Initiative Bangladesh, Mondiaal FNV, Fair Wear Foundation, in partnership with BRAC University. The study is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

Bangladesh is currently the 7th most climate risk-affected country in the world. At the same time, human-induced climate change is one of the most pervasive threats to the environment and societies worldwide. Keeping both global and national scenarios in mind, one of the four pillars of ETI Bangladesh’s three-year strategy (2023-2025) concentrates on climate change and, just and inclusive green transitions.

Over the past 40 years, the growth of the ready-made garment industry (RMG) in Bangladesh has triggered a social change by generating considerable formal employment opportunities for women. The industry has made women visible in the labour market and empowered in society. However, in recent years the proportion of women workers in the sector has been on the decline.