Sustainable Apparel Coalition partners with Bangladesh Apparel Exchange for fourth edition of Sustainable Apparel Forum

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), an independent and impact-creating organisation that brings together around half of the apparel industry to enable positive social and environmental impact at scale, announced 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, said a press release. 

Taking place on 15-16 March, this year's Sustainable Apparel Forum will focus on five key subject areas of the apparel and textile supply chain: Circular economy, climate impact and action, renewable energy and 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 organisations, 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 and keynote speeches along with strategic guidelines from government officials and industry leaders.

Vidhura Rapanawe, board director; Andrew Martin, vice president, Membership and Stakeholder Engagement, and Joyce Tsoi, director of Collective Action Programmes, along with other team members, will represent the SAC, including participation in a discussion on decarbonisation and what it will take for the industry to achieve the necessary reduction of carbon emissions.

The SAC will also actively participate and organise a special workshop for manufacturers as part of their continued stakeholder engagement efforts.

"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," said Andrew Martin.

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."

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 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.