Note for Importers

Choose Bangladesh, Source form Bangladesh!

Made in Bangladesh- Source of Reliability and Trust

“Made in Bangladesh” garments are not only the major imported apparel items by USA, Canada and Europe from Bangladesh, but also these are acting as the “Image Ambassador” of the country and its people. It has helped to create a positive impression of Bangladesh. On a recent Board of Investment (BOI) statement, it is predicted that Bangladesh expects US$ 20 billion plus worth of investment within next few years from countries i.e Taiwan, India, Middle East and Far East besides direct investment from Europe and USA.  It has to be accepted here that the success story of Bangladesh’s RMG industry and its workforce plays a pivotal role in this conjecture!

The global economic crisis, if anything, has eventually boosted Bangladesh’s garment sector, as buyers worldwide have switched to less expensive garments—the so-called “Wal-Mart effect.” In addition, the ongoing rise in Chinese wages and currency has made Bangladesh a favorable investment destination.

Table: Major Export Bundle (Product wise) of Bangladesh
T-shirt, Tank Top and Singlet’s
Polo-shirt
Knitted Jacket, Cardigans
Briefs, Underwear’s and Panties
Pullover and Sweatshirt
Babies Item

Fashion and Performance Apparel Development:

The worldwide demand pattern for the Apparel product is changing at every single moment. The demand for technical and fashion product are increasing day by day.  On the other hand, the global smart fabrics and interactive textile market is expected to reach almost $2 billion by 2015. The markets will be driven by economic recovery pace, new product offerings and a rising degree of consumer confidence. Product innovation will partly concern new generation fibers, including hybrid materials and Nano-fibers.

To meet the world demand Bangladesh is innovating technical textile production technique, using latest technology, which ensures the better quality of the product/s. Besides, Bangladesh is using new high-tech fibers, which are more complex than traditional fibers for the production of different fashion products.

Table: Fashion items export of Bangladesh
Fashion Items

BKMEA Research and Development wing has been working on the development of new high-tech fabrics, fibers and new design and fashion products.  BKMEA Fashion Designing Institute is a real addition to this initiative and is expected to come into operation within the shortest span of time.

Performance Apparel Development: Bangladesh in the world Cup

Bangladesh has supplied a considerable amount of Jerseys and Shorts for different Teams of the world Cup Football finals of The FIFA World Cup 2010 & 2014. This statement poignantly oozes the frisson of the capacity of Bangladesh Knitwear sector and authenticates the dependability and reliability that Bangladesh has been able to create across the globe. Again Bangladesh supplies huge amount of sport items to the world recognized sportswear importers and retailers like PUMA, Adidas and NIKE.

Table: Sport and Performance product export of Bangladesh
Sports Jersey and Trousers

The worldwide market size of performance sportswear is currently estimated at US$ 6.40bn, which is upped by 19.4% over the last four years, and is expected to grow a further 18.75%, resulting in US$ 7.6bn by the end of 2014. According to the forecasting trends of performance apparel, sportswear will continue to grow faster for men than for women and most of the growth will be in North America, East Asia and Europe. With exclusive design pattern, skilled workforce, latest technology, available raw materials and huge experience, Bangladesh knitwear sector has closely eyed on this development and is delving into helping factories to be encouraged in performance apparels and grab the hugely potential markets in coming 5-10 years.

Top Buyers around the world and their dependency on Bangladeshi Knitwear items:

Bangladesh has been successfully supplying apparel products consistently to the premier international fashion brands like H&M, C&A, M&S, Wal-Mart, GAP, Levi’s, s. Oliver, Tesco, Zara, Carrefour, JC Penney and many more.

Supply capacity to produce cost-effective but Quality RMG products with over 5,500 factories employing about 4.5 million workers (of a total workforce of 80 million), Bangladesh is clearly ahead of other South-east Asian suppliers in this respect (Indonesia has about 2450 factories, Vietnam 2000, and Cambodia 260 factories).

International buyers/importers look for long-term apparel business ties in Bangladesh as the country has the potential to supply quality apparel items than any other countries of the world.

Favorable trade agreements: EU-GSP rules on duty-free imports of garments from Bangladesh have made sourcing from Bangladesh more attractive.
The capacity of Bangladesh knitwear industry has already been proved to be the most strongest in the world and the resilience of the sector also its crates confidence in the minds of the world importers, even at the times of adversity.

Competition to absorb the export share of world apparel market has reached fever pitch now. The gradual backpedaling of China on apparel export has created a vacuum in the apparel trade and the competitor countries of Bangladesh are striving their best to craft out their positions in the international markets. Bangladesh so has been in for a tougher rivalry amongst its competitors, but exerted its best effort so far to grab the bulk sum of what China is leaving out. Though it is not easy to grapple with the situation with dispatch and efficiency, yet we think, Bangladesh has probably turned the corner.

Table: Continent wise Product Demand of Bangladeshi Knitwear Product
Africa
America
Asia
Australia
Europe
Latin America

 Table: List of top retailers and fashion brands importing from Bangladesh

Table: Top retailers and fashion brands importing from Bangladesh

Specific Advantages of Knitwear Sector of Bangladesh:

• Knitwear is a self-sufficient sector in all respects; currently the sector is supplying 90% of the knit fabric requirements.
• Local yarn suppliers provide a large sum of yarn demand for the industry.
• Many garments have their own dyeing and finishing units.
• A separate dyeing and finishing industry also has grown up over the time to support the sector
• More than 200 composite factories.
• Bangladeshi Knitwear is almost unbeatable in price advantages in the world.
• Bangladesh provides not only a cheap labor force, which is unbeatable but they are also peerless in stitching capability.
• Knitwear is exported to 153 countries of the world.
• Strong backward linkage facilities.
• Long experience of apparel business and a created value chain across the globe.
• More than 2000 knitwear factories.

However, Bangladeshi Knitwear Entrepreneurs are still working on the development of the entrepreneurial skills, improving the existing products, developing the living standard of workers and providing them with a green healthy working environment.  In this connection, BKMEA gets into its stride & plays a catalytic role in amalgamating all these factories into a simple order and implementing those factors in the member factories.

Comparative Advantages of Bangladesh Knitwear Industry:

• High quality diversified products.
• Duty-free and quota-free access to the markets of several developed and developing countries, such as EU, Canada, Australian, Japan etc.
• Strong backward linkage industry in the knit sector & growing capacity in the woven sector
• Socially and environmentally compliant factories
  • Child labour free factories
  • Environmentally compliant ISO, BSCIS, WRAP, OKETEX etc. certified factories
  • Vertically integrated
• Implementation of social compliance, fire safety mechanism in the factories.
• Productivity campaign to ensure the best quality products.
• Ensuring quality assessment process for the products-to-be-made.
• Linkage the factories with environmentally and chemical sustainability program.
• Adopting the Green factory mechanism for a sustainable industrial build-up.
• Application of CPM (Clean production mechanism) into the factory production strategy.
• Structural adjustment policies of the factories according to the demand of ILO, ACCORD, and ALLIANCE & Other related international bodies.
• Most factories were inspected by Bangladesh University of Technology and Engineering (BUET), thus ensuring structural safety for the importers of the world.

Table:  Fiscal Year wise Contribution of Bangladesh RMG on Total National Export

Data Source Export Promotion Bureau Compiled by BKMEA R&D wing

Table: Fiscal Year wise Contribution of Woven and Knitwear Export

Data Source Export Promotion Bureau Compiled by BKMEA R&D wing

Table: Fiscal Year wise Knitwear Export Contribution on Total National Export

Data Source Export Promotion Bureau Compiled by BKMEA R&D wing

These all facts & figures boil down to the reality that in the coming days, Bangladesh is going to lead the world in exporting RMG. A glorious future is true, beckoning!  Reasonably, BKMEA has its motto: “Working today to shine tomorrow”, which poignantly reflects how we (Bangladesh) intend to reign supreme in the international markets in the days ahead.

So, vision is in hand and we must make it happen!