BGMEA Dashboard exposes garment industry’s sustainability blind spot

Only 16.6 per cent of 326 surveyed garment factories publish sustainability reports, exposing a major transparency gap in Bangladesh’s export-dependent apparel industry even as international buyers demand verifiable evidence of responsible production.

The finding emerged on Monday as the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) launched a digital Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Dashboard to track factories’ environmental impact, workers’ welfare and corporate accountability.

The dashboard draws on the 2025�"2026 survey of 326 factories employing 584,371 workers, offering a snapshot of participating units rather than the entire garment industry.

The data show that 38.3 per cent of the factories have solar installations, while reported greenhouse gas emissions total 770,989 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Women account for 54.2 per cent of the surveyed workforce, and factories report an average of 101.8 training hours per factory annually.

Although the average compliance score stands at 96 per cent, only 68.4 per cent of the factories have undergone third-party audits. The low rate of sustainability reporting highlights the challenge of translating compliance claims into transparent, independently verifiable performance.

The dashboard was unveiled at the Noorul Quader Auditorium of the BGMEA Complex in Uttara during a programme on human rights, environmental due diligence and digital data disclosure organised by the association’s Responsible Business Hub.

Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Adviser to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, attended as chief guest, while Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Christian Brix Møller was the special guest. BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan hosted the programme.

Dr Titumir welcomed the initiative, emphasising transparency and responsible business practices as essential to strengthening Bangladesh’s manufacturing competitiveness and international market acceptance.

The platform consolidates data on environmental management, workers’ rights, workplace safety, training and corporate governance, enabling factories to assess performance and identify weaknesses while helping policymakers pinpoint common problems.

However, the figures require careful interpretation. The 96 per cent average compliance score does not mean every factory meets every applicable standard, while solar installations alone do not indicate how much electricity comes from renewable sources.

Independent verification, consistent reporting standards and regular updates will be crucial to the dashboard’s credibility. Wider factory participation will also be needed to build a more representative picture of the industry.

As global buyers place greater emphasis on emissions, labour rights and supply-chain accountability, the dashboard offers BGMEA a tool to measure progress. Its real test will be whether factories use the data to cut emissions, improve working conditions and strengthen transparency�"not merely to demonstrate formal compliance.