The Bangladesh Denim Expo and Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) will return next month between the 5-6th, with a focus on sustainability and responsible manufacturing techniques. Held concurrently in the Bangladeshi capital, the second iteration of the SAF will leverage the continued momentum enjoy by its sister expo event, held for the 11th consecutive year. Whilst the denim expo will cast its eye over responsible business practices and manufacturing technologies, “the title for this year’s Sustainable Apparel Forum is enabling sustainability through policy and leadership,” says event organiser Mostafiz Uddin, Founder of the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE). “The time for talking on sustainability issues is over. It is now time for actions.
Just two weeks away, the Bangladesh Denim Expo is expected to attract around 100 exhibitors from 11 countries featuring those from the host nation. Industry stakeholders spanning far and wide from Japan and China to Spain and Germany will be in attendance. Through a series of product exhibits, presentations, seminars and panel discussions, delegates will look to hone in on what’s well-known to be a resource-intensive garment manufacturing process, denim production.
Guest speakers including H&M’s head of sustainability, global production, Pierre Borjesson will offer a brand’s perspective on the issue at hand, whilst the Founder of Olah Inc., and of the Kingpins Denim show – held in Amsterdam recently – Andrew Olah brings his decades of experience into the fold.
Alice Tonello, R&D Director of the Tonello Group and denim designer Piero Turk also weighs in from the view points’ of a machinery manufacturer and a designer. “The way that business and product development is conducted can have far reaching consequences on the environment, on the people that make the product and the product’s end use & life-span,” noted Uddin. “It is the duty of all stakeholders in the apparel industry to acknowledge this responsibility and to analyse our business practices, for the benefit of all.”
Apparel Forum: Dubbed ‘the biggest annual sustainability event in Bangladesh’ by its co-organisers: BAE and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Sustainable Apparel Forum returns for just its second time. Building on its debut in 2017, the event will spotlight sustainability in the industry and considers itself an idealistic platform for stakeholders to convene, with Bangladesh a manufacturing hotspot in the global landscape.
The forum will host over 50 speakers, spread across a series of panel discussions as the one day event looks to touch on transparency in business, water conservation, purchasing practices, sustainable chemical management, waste management, a circular economy in textiles and climate change, to name but a few. Kicking off the day’s proceedings, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh and the Sweden Embassy in Bangladesh will co-host two roundtable discussions in collaboration with BAE.
This, before a showcase of innovative working practices utilised across Bangladesh in its ready-made garment (RMG) sector. “The time for talking on sustainability issues is over. It is now time for actions. That’s why the focus of this year’s show is on practical, pragmatic actions the textile industry can adopt to improve its environmental footprint,” Uddin noted.
