Sweater exports from Bangladesh to Europe dropped 3.54 per cent, although exports of other apparel items have risen. In fact sweater exports from Bangladesh have been fluctuating for the last few years. Reasons include shorter winters in Europe coupled with the devaluation of the euro. Customers are reducing orders because of the falling euro.
On top of that, many sweater makers installed automated machines for higher productivity and to maintain quality. This led to overcapacity. Also, the euro has started falling against the taka since September last year, further affecting the exports.
With climate change, the demand for thick sweaters, widely produced in Bangladesh, is going down in Europe. As a result, customers like light sweaters, which can be worn all year round. But Bangladesh is still not a strong producer of light sweaters, although investors are importing expensive machinery to produce such sweaters. It’s necessary that Bangladeshi entrepreneurs change their sweater production patterns to match climate changes in the west.
As compared to sweater exports, exports of other garment items like shirts increased. Trouser exports have remained almost constant. But jacket and T-shirt exports from Bangladesh have risen. The effects of climate change can be observed in Europe and further changes in climate are projected to take place in the future. Warming has been stronger in most regions in winter than in summer.
