Global fashion brands should play a central role in financing Bangladesh’s garment sector transition to clean energy, while ensuring that workers’ rights and livelihoods are protected, according to experts who spoke at a dialogue held in Dhaka on Monday.
The event, organised by Stand.earth, Oxfam in Bangladesh, and Breaking the Silence, convened policymakers, garment brands, manufacturers, trade unions, and development organisations at Lakeshore Hotel to discuss the challenges and opportunities of shifting the industry toward sustainability.
Kazi Rafiqul Islam, a member of parliament and part of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Planning, described the energy transition as a comprehensive process that goes beyond technology, emphasizing its economic, social, and humanitarian dimensions. He cautioned that efforts to make the garment industry more environmentally sustainable must not come at the cost of workers’ employment, wages, workplace safety, and social protections.
Bangladesh is the world’s third-largest apparel exporter and ranks ninth among countries most vulnerable to climate change. With approximately four million garment workers—many of whom are women—employed in the sector, rising temperatures and increased flooding pose significant risks for both workers and factories.
Rachel Kitchin, senior campaign manager at Stand.earth, advocated for global brands to assume a fair portion of the financial burden related to decarbonisation and energy efficiency. She suggested that investment could take the form of collective financing mechanisms or grants to prevent manufacturers and factory workers from shouldering these costs. A recent study by the Stand.earth Research Group highlighted that 15 brands alone could help Bangladesh avoid 1.26 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually by 2040, amounting to roughly 8.6 million tonnes cumulatively.
Echoing the call for a just transition, Rumana Rashid, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, stressed the importance of workforce training and reskilling as factories update to cleaner energy systems and more efficient machinery. She also urged that workers’ perspectives be incorporated into decision-making processes related to the transition.
Currently, financing for decarbonisation remains limited. The 2025 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard revealed that only six of 42 major fashion brands provide suppliers with funds to support emissions reductions, and only one offered this support without increasing supplier debt.
Atwar Rahman, interim head of the project management unit at Oxfam in Bangladesh, underscored the need to link climate action with economic justice. Other speakers included Razequzzaman Ratan, president of the Socialist Labour Front, and Roksana Sultana, executive director of Breaking the Silence.
The dialogue featured the launch of the Clean Fashion Investment Pact by Stand.earth and included discussions on establishing a roadmap for women garment workers, as well as strategies for developing transition financing and climate adaptation measures in the industry.