The Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture, where global climate goals and local industry realities must converge. As part of efforts to accelerate the sector’s green transition, Swisscontact Bangladesh is implementing the PROGRESS project, supported by the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of Switzerland to support the green transition in the RMG sector. The project collaborated with the Scandinavian Textile Initiative for Climate Action (STICA), an industry initiative founded by the Sustainable Fashion Academy (SFA) in collaboration with major Scandinavian and Nordic apparel brands. To strengthen industry-wide climate action, Swisscontact and STICA jointly organized a ‘Changemakers’ Webinar Series’ provide a platform for knowledge exchange, practical insights, and collaborative learning across the 200-supplier network of STICA member brands.
Over four sessions, the series brought together industry leaders, sustainability experts, and factory representatives to explore actionable solutions across key thematic areas: Climate Action Roadmap (CAR), Sustainability Reporting, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency, and Green Financing; all of which align with the ongoing support PROGRESS provides to factories through its service partners.
The first webinar was held on August 2025, focusing on Climate Action Roadmap, which is a tool to track, reduce, and manage greenhouse gas emissions while aligning with global standards. The session was conducted by EQMS Consulting Ltd, who provided a deep dive into these concepts including its methodologies and a factory-specific case study. The participants also benefitted from first-hand experiences implementing CAR at factory level from a factory representative from the Southern Garments Ltd.
The second webinar was held on September 2025, focusing on the fundamentals of sustainability reporting and its role in strengthening climate action. The session featured a keynote presentation by ESG and Sustainability Expert from the SGS Bangladesh Ltd. exploring the significance of sustainability reporting and its linkages with climate reporting, stressing the need to adopt recognised frameworks such as GRI. The session delve into climate change as a material topic in GRI 2021—covering governance, energy use, GHG emissions and climate-related risks. To ground the discussion in real practice, a representative from the Al-Islam Textiles, shared his factory’s journey in implementing reporting processes through PROGRESS project and the advantages of structured disclosures.
The third webinar took place on October 2025, focusing on the urgent need for energy-efficient solutions in the RMG sector. The session featured a dynamic panel discussion featuring diverse representatives from Kappahl Group, Sepal Group, Asian Age Enterprise Ltd. and Super Star Group. The panel explored practical measures, emerging technologies, and collaborative strategies to address cost and knowledge barriers. The discussion underscored how energy efficiency not only reduces emissions but also enhances competitiveness and compliance with buyer requirements.
On November 2025, the final webinar spotlighted green financing mechanisms that enable factories to invest in sustainability. The session introduced InSPIRE, a Swisscontact challenge fund promoting resource efficiency and renewable energy investments in the apparel sector. The webinar also brought together representatives from leading banks, including HSBC Bangladesh and Dhaka Bank PLC, to explore how green finance can accelerate the sector’s transition toward a low-carbon future. The participating STICA-affiliated factories benefitted from understanding available financing options and practical steps to access green funds, enabling them to plan investments in energy efficiency and renewable solutions.
The webinar series concluded on a high note, earning appreciation from STICA for its relevance, impact and promoting industry-wide collaboration. The initiative proved to be thought-provoking and fostered meaningful knowledge exchange, with participating factories also sharing positive feedback. Swisscontact is now in discussion with STICA to explore next steps and strengthen joint efforts toward advancing sustainability in the RMG sector.