Through the IFC-led “Partnership for Cleaner Textile” (PaCT) program, over 450 textile and ready-made garment (RMG) firms in Bangladesh have drastically reduced their yearly freshwater usage by 35 billion liters.
Furthermore, the annual wastewater output from these firms has been reduced by 29 billion liters. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced on the occasion of the PaCT program’s tenth anniversary that the freshwater savings could cover more than 1.9 million people’s yearly water demands. In addition to saving water, the collaborating factories currently save 3.8 million megawatt hours of energy yearly and have cut carbon emissions by 723,617 tons, which is the same as taking almost 160,000 automobiles off the road annually.
With funding from Denmark and the Netherlands, the PaCT program seeks to improve Bangladesh’s textile industry’s competitiveness and environmental sustainability by enacting positive, systemic changes throughout the value chain.
Key stakeholders in this project have included the government, industrial associations, financial institutions, technology vendors, and brands such as TESCO, PUMA, Levi Strauss & Co., and VF Corp.
While vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Miran Ali, acknowledged the positive effects of the PaCT program and expressed hope that its influence will continue to drive sustainable and safe growth in the industry, Danish ambassador to Bangladesh, Christian Brix Moller, expressed satisfaction with the program’s scale and comprehensive activities, particularly its advisory support for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
