Textile industry in Bangladesh urged to increase waste reclamation efforts

In the bustling cities of Bangladesh and across the globe, a significant shift is underway in the textile industry. With a focus on cities, manufacturing, policy & finance, and regions like Bangladesh, Europe, and South Asia, the story revolves around the need for a change in the current opaque system of handling waste, particularly textile waste.

Thousands of informal workshops in Bangladesh sort and bundle textile waste, known as jhut, and down-cycle it to make low-value products. However, most of this waste is shipped abroad, with a small portion being processed in local recycling factories. This practice raises concerns about the potential for a regular supply of waste feedstock and the need for a more sustainable approach.

One such approach is chemical recycling, a technology that Abdullah Rafi, CEO of recycler Broadway Regenerated Fiber, advocates for. He calls for large-scale investment in this technology, with support from fashion brands and development-finance organisations. The exact number of investments required for technological advancement in Bangladesh's recycling factories to increase capacity and meet the growing global textile recycling industry demand is not publicly specified.

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Abdur Razzaque, founder of Recycle Raw, has set up one of the largest waste-processing businesses in Bangladesh. His company offers decent wages and basic labour standards, attracting and retaining a largely female workforce. In contrast, workers in the informal workshops often earn low wages without key safety measures, such as drinking water, paid sick leave, or protection from harassment.

Tens of thousands of workers, 70% of them women, sort the textile waste for 10 to 12 hours a day in these workshops near the capital Dhaka. The remaining waste in Bangladesh is often left to pollute the environment, clog bodies of water, enter landfills, or be incinerated.

Doing a better job in recycling could save Bangladesh about US$700 million a year in imports, according to the Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains report. The global textile recycling market is projected to be worth US$9.4 billion by 2027, offering a promising future for the industry.

The European Union has published a roadmap towards meeting the standards under its Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which includes provisions for reducing the environmental harm caused by the textile industry. As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, the need for investment in technology and collaboration among brands, suppliers, waste handlers, and recyclers to scale up recycling capacity becomes increasingly evident.

This story was published with permission from Thomson Reuters Foundation, covering humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking, and property rights. The article aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, and 17, focusing on clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnerships for the goals. The story touches on themes like consumer products, jobs, pollution, recycling, regulation, supply chain, waste, textiles, circular economy, gender, women, fashion, consumerism, livelihoods, workplace wellbeing, and more.