Navigating the Current Sustainability Practices of the Bangladesh Garment Industry

Bangladesh is one of the major global garment-sourcing hotspots. Sustainability has become a megatrend and is shaping the international apparel industry. Given that Bangladesh is one of the largest garment exporters, it is essential to investigate the current sustainability initiatives being developed within the Bangladesh garment industry. Therefore, this study investigated the types of sustainability practices currently adopted within the garment industry in Bangladesh by analyzing publicly available sustainability reports from 25 garment factories published between 2020 and 2021. Guided by the triple bottom line theory, this study revealed through content analysis that companies prominently highlight environmental and social sustainability efforts, while economic sustainability receives comparatively limited attention. These insights identify areas for improvement in the current sustainable practices of the Bangladesh garment industry. Industry professionals, scholars in academia, and other stakeholders may use the primary findings of this study to holistically devise and implement strategies for sustainability practices in the Bangladesh garment industry.