Sustainable Apparel Coalition Partners With Bangladesh Apparel Exchange for the Fourth Edition of the Sustainable Apparel Forum

SAN FRANCISCO, AMSTERDAM, HONG KONG, January 24, 2023 /3BL Media/ - The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), an independent and impact-creating organization that brings together around half of the apparel industry to enable positive social and environmental impact at scale, is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) for its fourth edition of the Sustainable Apparel Forum. The event aims to bring together stakeholders to discuss and exchange ideas on how to advance sustainability within the textile and apparel industry.

Taking place on March 15 and 16, 2023, this year’s Sustainable Apparel Forum will focus on five key subject areas of the apparel and textile supply chain: circular economy, climate impact & action, renewable energy & green funding, skill development and green job prospects and challenges. Delegates in attendance will include, garment manufacturers, brands and retailers, development partners, foreign missions and embassies in Bangladesh, impact creating organizations, apparel and textile associations, industry leaders, government officials, secretariats and ministers.

The first day of the forum will be geared towards roundtable discussions and workshop sessions on circularity, while day two, the main conference day of the event, will feature panel discussions, presentations & keynote speeches along with strategic guidelines from government officials and industry leaders.

Vidhura Rapanawe, Board Director, Andrew Martin, VP, Membership and Stakeholder Engagement, and Joyce Tsoi, Director of Collective Action Programs, along with other team members, will represent the SAC, including participation in a discussion on decarbonization and what it will take for the industry to achieve the necessary reduction of carbon emissions. The SAC will also actively participate and organize a special workshop for manufacturers as part of their continued stakeholder engagement efforts.

Andrew Martin, VP, Membership and Stakeholder Engagement at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, said: “We’re honored to be supporting the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange with the opportunity to leverage our strength in collaboration to move the industry forward. As an organization with equal partnership as a core value, and committed to steering the industry toward a shared vision for sustainability, we firmly believe that partnership is the new leadership. The Sustainable Apparel Forum presents a great opportunity to deepen our collaborations in the global south, ensuring they have a voice and can share their perspectives in our collective effort to find common ground to ultimately transform the industry.”

Mostafiz Uddin, Founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange said: “Bangladesh Apparel Exchange has been established to promote the apparel industry of Bangladesh. One of the objectives of the BAE is ensuring the sustainable growth of the industry through its multifarious and meaningful initiatives. SAC has been our long-term partner for several years. Bangladesh Apparel Exchange believes that sustainability, technology and innovation are key to the progress of the Bangladesh apparel industry and, by working together with SAC, we aim to enable Bangladesh to progress as a responsible sourcing destination on the global map through to promotion of sustainability, innovation, technology and transparency in the industry.”

The SAC previously partnered with the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange for their second edition of the Sustainable Apparel Forum in 2019. As a strategic partner, the SAC is committed to working together to find areas for deeper collaborations as it works towards its vision of a global consumer goods industry that gives more than it takes - to both people and planet.

The Sustainable Apparel Forum event is open for interested participants to register and join other stakeholders in discussions and networking sessions on how to accelerate progress to transform the industry.

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About the Sustainable Apparel Coalition:

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an independent and impact-creating organization that aims to lead the industry toward a shared vision of sustainability based upon a joint approach for measuring, evaluating, and improving performance.

As a non-profit organization, it has members from across the apparel, footwear and textile sector, but exists independently outside any one company so that it can drive progress. The SAC’s collective action efforts bring more than 280 global brands, retailers, manufacturers, NGOs, academics and industry associations together. They represent about half of the apparel and footwear industry along the whole supply chain – from sustainability pioneers to organizations just getting started.

Before the SAC existed, companies worked in a siloed way, using their own programmes and measurements that lacked standardization and an ability to drive collective action. In 2009, Walmart and Patagonia identified this as a serious problem. Joining forces, they brought together peers and competitors from across the sector, to develop a universal approach to measuring sustainability performance and founded The Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

About the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange

Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) is a non-profit organization established to promote the apparel industry of Bangladesh. Since its inception, the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) has been working for the sustainable growth of the country’s apparel industry through its multifarious and meaningful initiatives. The BAE offers a platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise, combined with best working practices.

The BAE is the largest private apparel initiative of Bangladesh – the second largest apparel exporting country in the world. Bangladesh currently exports apparel to about 160 countries. Bangladesh Apparel Exchange believes that sustainability, technology and innovation are keys to the progress of Bangladesh's apparel industry. BAE aims to enable Bangladesh to progress as a responsible sourcing destination on the global map through promotion of sustainability, innovation, technology and transparency in the industry.