Sajjadur Rahman Mridha, a garment entrepreneur, visited Sri Lanka in 2010 on business. He was looking at the local daily newspaper while sipping coffee at the hotel in the morning. A news came to his notice that his second eco-friendly factory was being inaugurated in that country. And the newspaper has published the praises of high-ranking government officials starting from the President of Sri Lanka.
Within moments, Sajjadur Rahman Mridha decided to build such an environmentally friendly factory in Bangladesh. The thought is the work. He went to work without wasting time. He found a consultant involved in building an eco-friendly factory.
Sajjadur Rahman Mridha contacted the Sri Lankan consultant and asked for permission to inspect the factory. However, the authorities did not give permission. Even then he did not give up. Tactically, he walked around the factory, keeping his identity secret. Then he came back to the country. After returning to the country, Sajjadur Rahman started looking for a place for a factory. But there was no way to bat. Then there was the gas crisis across the country. Getting a new gas connection is almost like getting a moon in your hand. In the end, the EPZ authorities of Ishwardi promised to provide gas connection to the land. Apart from Narayanganj and Chittagong, most of the garment factories are at Ashulia and Gazipur in Savar, Dhaka. There are also concerns about whether workers will be found if factories are set up so far away. Not all the facilities will match at once, so Sajjadur Rahman Mridha took the challenge. He took the final decision to build an eco-friendly factory in Ishwardi.
Bangladesh entered the world of certified eco-friendly factories in 2012 through the hands of Sajjadur Rahman Mridha. His company Vintage Denim Studio is the first eco-friendly factory in Bangladesh. Starting from that. Then one by one eco-friendly factories started to be built in Bangladesh. At present there are more than 150 eco-friendly factories in Bangladesh. Most of these are garment and textile factories.
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) certifies an environmentally friendly installation called ‘Lead’. The full form of Lead is ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’. To receive the certificate, each project has to maintain the highest standards in various aspects from construction to production under the supervision of USGBC. Applications can be made after the construction of the building is completed or the old building is renovated. There are total 110 points for fulfilling 9 conditions for lead certificate. If it is above 60 points, it is ‘Lead Platinum’, if it is 60-69, it is ‘Lead Glode’, if it is 50-59,
According to the BGMEA, an association of garment industry owners, the milestone of setting up 150 eco-friendly factories in the textile and garment sector has been achieved by October this year. It has 44 Lead Platinum, 93 Lead Glode, 9 Lead Silver and 4 Lead Certified factories.
Entrepreneurs in the garment and textile sector say that the benefits of setting up eco-friendly factories are being shared at home and abroad. World-renowned brands and buyers are showing more interest in making garments in eco-friendly factories. The entrepreneurs of these factories are ahead in bargaining to get the purchase order and additional price of the garments. On the other hand, the environment-friendly factories save less electricity and water, which puts less pressure on the environment. Workers are getting better working environment. In it, the image of clothing and textile industry in the outside world is getting brighter.
