Held on June 11, 2024, the 2nd Bangladesh Circular Economy Summit focused on the shifting of the Bangladesh apparel and textile industries to a circular model from the current linear one.
Organised by the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) in collaboration with the GIZ Bangladesh and in association with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the Radisson Blu, Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka, the summit comprised four plenary sessions, three panel discussions, and one breakout session.
The summit was launched by Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Minister of Textiles & Jute, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, as the Chief Guest. Other special guests at the summit includedSiddiqurRahman, former President, BGMEA; ThijsWoudstra, Deputy Head - Mission, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bangladesh; and Jan Janowski, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Germany, Bangladesh.
The four plenary sessions focused on the topics, ‘Formalising the Informal Jhoot Sector’, ‘Closing the Loop of Textile Waste’, ‘Circular Design: Reality vs Challenges’, and ‘Transparency & Traceability in Circularity’.
A presentation on ‘EU Due Diligence and Legislations on Circularity’ was made by Charles Whiteley, Head - Delegation, Delegation of the European Union in Bangladesh followed by a presentation on ‘Market Incentives for Eco-design: The Case of Eco-modulation’ by Professor HarriKalimo, Co-Director, 3E (Environment, Economy and Energy) Research Center, Brussels School of Governance and a presentation on ‘A National Circular Textile Roadmap for Bangladesh’ by Patrick Schroeder, Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House.
The summit also held a breakout session on the topic, ‘Mapping the Way for RMG Circularity’ by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh.
The summit aimed to accelerate the momentum of circularity in the apparel and textile industries in the country, saidMostafizUddin, Founder and CEO, Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE).Itfocused on enhancing sustainability in Bangladesh’s production process, and providing a valuable partner to the Netherlands in its circularity journey, adds Irma Van Dueren, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh.
Dr Michael Klode, Project Manager, Programfor Sustainability in the Textile and Leather Sector (STILE), GIZ, summed up, adopting a circular economy is being conscious of not just climate goals, but also business goals and competitiveness.
