The 15th Bangladesh Denim Expo took place on 8-9 November and featured 80 exhibitors from 12 countries, with around 5,000 registered visitors from home and abroad.
Siddiqur Rahman, former BGMEA president attended the event and addressed the crucial role denim plays in Bangladesh's total apparel exports. He said it is approximately a quarter of the total.
To meet the country's overall apparel export $100bn target, Rahman stressed the necessity of doubling denim exports by 2030, expressing his confidence that brands and retailers would prefer Bangladesh due to its “exemplary progress in workplace safety and sustainability.”
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, MP, highlighted Bangladesh's position as the second-largest apparel-exporting country globally and that Bangladesh leads in denim exports to the European Union and the US, even surpassing China.
"The success of Bangladesh's denim export is attributed significantly to the Bangladesh Denim Expo," Munshi remarked while inaugurating the 15th edition of the expo in Dhaka.
At the Bangladesh Denim Expo, founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), Mostafiz Uddin, emphasised the vast potential of the Bangladesh denim industry and BAE's role in unlocking untapped opportunities.
BGMEA president Faruque Hassan echoed Bangladesh's commitment to sustainability, citing the presence of 200 green garment factories in the country that are LEED certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) .
“Among the world’s top 10 green factories now at least eight are located in Bangladesh,” said Hassan.
Senior vice president of BGMEA, SM Mannan Kochi, touched on the ongoing efforts to ensure the smooth operation of the apparel business in Bangladesh and how the safe business atmosphere was evident in the successful organisation of the 15th Bangladesh Denim Expo.
Ziaur Rahman, the regional country manager for Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Africa at H&M, shared the company's initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 56% by 2030. He stressed the importance of regularised schemes for recycling processes and innovation, indicating H&M's collaboration with the Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) for green innovation.
The Bangladesh Denim Expo included panel discussions with prominent figures such as Joshua Gacutan from the High Commission of Australia, Kazi Faiyaz Murshid from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and industry leaders from companies such as Puma, Bluesign Technologies AG, and YKK Bangladesh PTE LTD.
The discussions covered topics such as the future of the Bangladesh apparel industry, transforming human capital, sustainable transitions in the denim industry, and unlocking untapped potential.
