1,500 billion liters of water are used annually by Bangladeshi garment factories and mills to wash, dye, and polish fabrics, which exacerbates the decline in ground water levels. Moreover, they release harmful effluent that pollutes waterways.
and surrounding surroundings, affecting health, food production, and economic expansion while also causing recurring shortages for neighborhood people. Also, a lot of apparel businesses rely on pricy, polluting generators that produce a lot of greenhouse emissions. Furthermore, despite recent changes made in response to the tragic Tazreen fire in 2012 and the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013, working conditions and safety regulations continue to be an issue in many workplaces.
With the help of IFC's comprehensive solutions, Bangladeshi enterprises are able to increase their environmental, safety, and labor performance while also increasing productivity, standard sustainability and competitiveness.
Lowering water and energy use: IFC experts offer in-depth, specialized guidance and technical support to help wet mills and clothing factories minimize their use of water, energy, and chemicals, as well as other pollutants and operational expenses. Additionally, we assist suppliers in making the transition to solar energy and environmentally friendly equipment. More than 200 factories have already benefited from on-site inspections, guidance on simple, affordable solutions, and larger capital investments from the IFC-led Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT), which have helped reduce water use by 21 billion liters annually. Also, by making these expenditures, greenhouse gas emissions were lowered by 460,000 tons annually, which is the same as taking 100,000 automobiles off the road. Also, we assisted enterprises in reducing their yearly wastewater output by 18.8 billion liters and 2.5 million MWh of energy. IFC has put $12.3 million into clothing suppliers who have adopted greener production techniques.
The Better Work program, a collaborative project of the IFC and the International Labor Organization (ILO), offers guidance, training, lobbying, and research to assist the textile sector in meeting labor and safety requirements. It also conducts on-the-ground audits of garment factories. Its collaboration with the government, businesses, labor unions, consumers, and other industry players guarantees beneficial development for the entire sector. We have so far assisted 300,000 people in improving their safety and working circumstances by collaborating with more than 140 factories.
Promoting sustainability through monetary rewards: IFC's Global Trade Supplier Financing (GTSF) gives suppliers cash rewards for raising their social and environmental standards. With the support of this $500 million investment and counseling initiative, suppliers may better manage their working capital, turn sales receivables into quick cash, and get access to more affordable financing. A $200 million Green Transformation Fund was established thanks to PaCT campaigning, and it now promotes low-cost financing for resource efficiency in the textile sector, which is supported by the Bangladeshi government. Moreover, IFC and Bangladesh Bank worked together to strengthen the ability of financial institutions lending to the garment industry to manage environmental and social risks.
Improving fire and building safety: IFC collaborates with the Bangladeshi government to develop policies and regulations that are beneficial to business, as well as to enhance the institutions that carry them out. Moreover, IFC provided $40 million in finance to enhance the fire, electrical, and structural safety systems in enterprises.
Creating cutting-edge industrial parks: IFC assisted the government in passing legislation permitting private sector involvement in the creation and management of economic zones to support increased expansion of the textile and apparel industries.
The IFC's Women Progression & Productivity Toolkit training program equips female operators with the technical and soft skills to move into supervisory positions and trains factory managers on how to identify, train, and retain female talent. This improves career progression opportunities for female sewing operators. The pilot includes a thorough impact study that tracks the progression rates of female operators and how they affect line productivity.
Establishing new prospects in the fields of sustainable energy, resource conservation, and workplace health and safety: IFC advice developed the Textile Technology Business Centre, which connects suppliers of eco-aware goods and services with textile businesses, and built a pool of 20 local Cleaner Production Auditors. Partner factories have so far spent $39 million on eco-friendly machinery and technology.
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