Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Bangladesh held its Brand Members Forum meeting convening 17 representatives from ETI member brands to reflect on current sectoral dynamics and initiate a new phase of collaborative action towards an inclusive renewable energy transition in the RMG sector.
The meeting discussed recent sectoral developments, including the US administration’s announcement of a 90-day tariff pause—excluding China. These updates set the tone for brand representatives to share their own experiences.
The importance of meaningful social dialogue surfaced repeatedly. Members expressed interest in ETI Bangladesh’s support to document and present effective models—especially those with strong worker representation and constructive engagement with management—as a way to encourage replication among suppliers.
A central focus of this forum meeting was to launch the second phase of ETI Bangladesh’s programme, Promoting Just Transition & Environmental Sustainability in the Bangladesh RMG Industry. The programme seeks to support a sector-wide transition to renewable energy and decarbonisation by aligning with ILO’s Just Transition principles and aims to facilitate joint roadmaps between brands and their suppliers.
The session highlighted key deliverables of the project where there are scopes for collaboration with brand members, including strengthening ETI's existing Just Transition Working group membership, mapping existing brand/supplier-led renewable energy initiatives, preparation of a joint roadmap which includes brands, suppliers and industry associations, for an industrial transition towards renewable energy. Another key highlight was the establishment of a Worker-led Climate Action Network (Worker CAN) through this phase of the project, which would lead sectoral advocacy initiatives for a just renewable energy transition.
Members expressed interest in ETI Bangladesh's ongoing work and echoed the need to document good practices in RMG for replication and scalability.
As the session drew to a close, members reflected on the need to continue addressing core concerns such as strengthening grievance mechanisms, improving factory-level dialogue, and preparing for potential risks during upcoming national holidays. There was strong interest in a survival-centric approach to worker redress.
The next Brand Members Forum meeting is scheduled to take place after Eid-ul-Azha. It will feature the dissemination of findings from ETI Bangladesh’s minimum wage research, along with further consultations on grievance redressal.
