Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) plans to open a Centre for Innovation, Efficiency and OSH (CIEOSH). The centre will help Bangladesh bridge knowledge gap in the industry by connecting stakeholders and driving innovation in product and process of Bangladesh apparel industry. The center will assist Bangladesh's apparel industry to move to the next level. The innovation center is expected to be launched at the newly-built BGMEA building at Uttara in December 2021.
With over 40 years of experience, Bangladesh's apparel industry has established a strong foothold. It has an experienced workforce, a strong backward linkage, and resilient entrepreneurs who have contributed to the growth of this approximately $31 billion industry. However, Bangladesh's apparel exports remain concentrated in top five products: trousers, T-shirts, men's shirts, women's shirts, and sweaters, mostly made of cotton, account for roughly 73 percent of Bangladesh's total apparel export. As a result, Bangladesh needs to explore man-made fiber products. Its shift to more high value man-made fiber products will also boost margins for the exporters.
