BGMEA president meets Dr Mark Anner

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has met Dr Mark Anner, professor of labour and employment relations, and director of the Centre for Global Workers' Rights at Penn State University, in New York.

They discussed various contemporary issues of Bangladesh’s RMG industry, while the issues of ethical sourcing and apparel price decline got due importance in the meeting on Monday, said a press release.

Faruque Hassan expressed thanks to Professor Mark Anner for his research initiatives on a crucial subject like ethical sourcing and pricing in the global apparel industry.

He also thanked him for conducting the survey report titled “Abandoned? The impact of Covid-19 on workers and businesses at the bottom of global garment supply chains”.

The report created huge global attention and raised a call for responsible sourcing behaviour from brands, reads the release.

The BGMEA President shared how the price decline coupled with increased production costs has put pressure on manufacturers and made their recovery from the pandemic impacts difficult.

The costs of raw materials along with freight fare have gone up during the pandemic period, which puts extra pressure on the manufacturers, he added.

Despite huge investments in safety and sustainability, suppliers are not getting fair prices for their produced products. “Moreover, the price of our apparel is declining every year,” the BGMEA president said.

He said the BGMEA would cooperate and collaborate with Professor Mark Anner in his research and study on the industry.