Bangladesh's leather export potential diminishing, urgent measures needed: Labour secretary

Bangladesh has significant potential for exporting leather goods, but this potential is steadily diminishing due to compliance issues, said AHM Shafiquzzaman, secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

"Bangladesh's leather exports have plummeted from $1.2 billion to $600 million, indicating that the sector is slowly being destroyed. We must take urgent action to revitalise it," he said at a workshop titled "Dissemination Workshop on Tannery Inspection Checklist," held at a city hotel.

The programme was organised by 'Good Working Conditions in Tanneries (GOTAIN)' project of German-based Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Most of the leather product exporters in Bangladesh have failed to obtain Leather Working Group (LWG) certification, an internationally recognised standard, due to the industry's inability to meet environmental and social compliance requirements. As a result, many of Bangladesh's factories are unable to directly export leather products to markets like European Union and America, which industry leaders believe is contributing to the decline in exports.

Although there was optimism that relocating the tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar, an outskirt of the capital, would improve the situation, this has not been the case. The Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is still not fully operational, and leather waste continues to pollute the local rivers, posing a significant environmental threat. 

Addressing the issue, the labour secretary said, "Previously, the Buriganga was polluted due to the concentration of tanneries in Hazaribagh, and now the local rivers in Savar are being polluted."

Referring to a report from the Department of Environment, he added, "The situation is truly alarming."

There are 143 tanneries in Bangladesh currently being operated. 

The workshop aimed to educate and inform relevant groups about the checklist for verifying compliance standards in the leather industry.
Abdur Rahim Khan, inspector General of DIFE; Arif Ahmed Khan, additional inspector general of DIFE; Md Firoz Alam, head of the GOTAIN project at GIZ Bangladesh; Matiur Rahman, joint inspector general of DIFE; and Alina Monser, advisor for the GOTAIN project, also spoke at the programme.