Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine June Issue 2018 | Page 15

COVER STORY
feel following the law of the land
is something a manufacturer has
to do any ways. Brands come into
a country to source and you have
to be price-competitive to be in the
business. And I think in this aspect,
productivity and efficiency holds the
key,”elucidated a very senior buying
professional from a leading brand
from USA – which boasts of store
chain in more than 800 locations in
US and Puerto Rico – referring to
the imminent wage hike of workers
as planned by the Government at a
time when manufacturers are crying
hoarse on the probable business
impact in the face of increasing
overheads and so-called diminishing
margins.
started sourcing the basic items
from Bangladesh initially but
today except for a few products, we
source almost everything from here,
including complicated items like
women’s dresses, outerwear, men’s
blazers and suits, undergarments…,”
the company’s sourcing head of
the country informed. To maintain
transparency in its supply chain,
the retail giant from UK also
reportedly published a monthly
report on quality, delivery and other
parameters, which goes to A-Z of
the supply base. On environmental
front, to promote water and power
conservation in the already
saturated supply base of Ashulia,
Savar and Dhaka, while also
ensuring employment generation and
economic development of far-flung
areas of the country, the company
has reached out to factories in
places like Sylhet and Nilphamari,
to produce for it, maintained
the company’s sourcing head in
Bangladesh.
However, in today’s age of open
economy where one has to evolve
to sustain, it is equally important
for the suppliers and the sourcing
destinations to maintain their
relevancy quotient in terms of market
mechanisms, so as to remain viable
for the buyers, who are operating
across geographical locations.“I
Bangladesh has started realising
this fact, especially the bigger
players with foresight have
understood that without increasing
productivity, efficiency and use
of technology, way forward is
impossible and also that compliance
(be it in terms of workplace safety,
workers’ well-being and welfare
or environmental aspect) has
become a must to ensure business
sustainability. Most buyers agree
that Bangladesh is much ahead of
many other countries in these
aspects and these sustainable
practices are bearing fruit for the
country, which has continued its
growth journey unabated to become
the second biggest exporter of
apparel, globally.
But what about the attitude of brands
in terms of sustainable business
practices? Everything involves
costs… Here again technology could
play a big role as many innovative
technological interventions are
coming up for green, environmental-
friendly and sustainable practices,
which the new generation of the
industry has started adopting. And
it is also happening at the global
level as brands and retailers are
getting more and more aware on
these issues. The debate on where
the responsibility lies is ongoing,
as Dr. Marsha Dickson, Better
Buying Co-founder, says, “Current
business practices are unsustainable
Dr. Marsha Dickson (C), Co-Founder of Better Buying
Current business
practices are
unsustainable
and need to be
overhauled if we
expect companies
to achieve financial,
environmental, and
social sustainability
goals. Brands and
retailers must
provide their
suppliers with
predictable business,
sufficient lead times,
fair financial deals,
and incentives for
compliant factories...
- Dr. Marsha Dickson
and need to be overhauled if we
expect companies to achieve
financial, environmental, and
social sustainability goals.
Brands and retailers must
provide their suppliers with
predictable business, sufficient
lead times, fair financial deals,
and incentives for compliant
factories. The BBPPI empowers
suppliers to share concerns about
poor supply chain management
and the issues they face.” Dickson
emphasises that industry-wide
transformation of purchasing
practices demands leadership.
“By using information generated
by Better Buying, brands and
retailer