ETI Bangladesh Hosts Consultation Workshop with JETI Brands on “Just and Inclusive Renewable Energy Transition and Environmental Sustainability”

The workshop focused on how the ETI and JETI brands can work together on key issues like climate change, just transition to renewable energy, and protecting workers' rights. A central focus of the session was ETI’s sectoral project titled “Promoting Just Transition & Environmental Sustainability in the Bangladesh RMG Industry,” which is framed towards facilitating industrial decarbonisation and the transition towards renewable energy.
Abil Bin Amin, Executive Director of ETI Bangladesh, opened the session by emphasising the importance of addressing climate change and just transitions from a worker rights perspective—a dimension often overlooked in wider sustainability conversations. He said the meeting was a first step in finding ways to work together to protect workers' rights as the industry deals with climate change and global environmental challenges. The event was a first step, with more discussions needed to create a just and inclusive transition to renewable energy.
George Williams, Just Transitions Advisor at ETI UK, also participated in the workshop and delivered a session on ETI’s approach to Just Transitions, which the organisation defines as: “Advancing human rights in supply chains in the era of climate crisis. He stressed the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders, putting workers at the heart of the energy transition.

During the discussion, brand representatives shared key challenges in implementing just transitions and environmental sustainability in their supply chains. These challenges included low levels of worker awareness on renewable energy and the duplication of sustainability initiatives in factories where multiple brands source from.
The discussion led to several important suggestions from brands. Participants stressed the importance of ETI collecting and consolidating brand experiences and initiatives around renewable energy and environmental sustainability, and sharing best practices with relevant industry actors. Additionally, the development of common guidelines for member brands was recommended to help ensure consistent efforts towards environmental sustainability and renewable energy across supply chains.
Brand representatives also expressed strong interest in collaborating more closely with ETI, particularly in relation to ETI Bangladesh’s ongoing sectoral project on decarbonisation and transition to renewable energy in the RMG sector. They shared examples of existing renewable energy initiatives within their supply chains and discussed opportunities to expand and strengthen these efforts in partnership with ETI.
The consultation concluded with a shared recognition of ETI’s essential role in facilitating a coordinated industry-wide transition. Brand representatives highlighted the need for ETI to address existing gaps in stakeholder coordination and to play a central role in bringing key actors together to amplify collective efforts at a larger scale.