Switching to manmade fiber can help Bangladesh apparel manufacturers get higher prices. The country has the potential to switch to the production of synthetic fiber-based textile and apparel to realise greater per unit values in the world market.

The global consumption of polyester filament and staple fiber has been on the rise while the demand for clothing made with cotton has been on the decline. Buyers are choosing manmade fabrics as substitutes to cotton fiber for sustainability and environmental issues. Synthetic fiber makes up 78 per cent of the world's clothing and the remaining 22 per cent is made of cotton fiber.

As of now 70 per cent of garments exported from Bangladesh are based on natural cotton while the remaining 30 per centis made of synthetic fiber. So Bangladesh holds just a five per cent market share of the global manmade apparel trade while rival Vietnam holds a ten per cent share.

Global manmade fiber apparel exports grew by four per cent while that of cotton-based items shrank by 0.5 per cent annually between 2011 and 2019. Cotton apparel exports then fell by some 15 per cent in 2020, while manmade fiber garment shipments saw robust growth of eight per cent in 2021.