2. Acknowledgements Project partners Department of Enterprise and
International Development at London College
of Fashion and BGMEA Institute of Fashion
Technology give special thanks to principal
funders of this project, Development Partnerships
in Higher Education (DelPHE), the British Council,
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO), and the companies featured in this
publication.
Suggested citation for this report: Parker, E. (2011)
Growing Sustainable Economies: A Collection of
Entrepreneurial Case Studies in Bangladesh and
the UK, edited by Hammond, L., and Higginson H.,
London College of Fashion.
Contact us
Department of Enterprise and
International Development
London College of Fashion
20 John Princes Street
London WIG 0BJ
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7514 7658
l.j.hammond@fashion.arts.ac.uk
www.fashion.arts.ac.uk
BGMEA Institute of Fashion Technology
105 S.R. Tower, Uttara Commercial Area,
sector-7
Uttara, Dhaka-1230
Bangladesh
+88 (0)2 8919986 / 8950535
info@bift.info
www.bift.info and www.bgmea.com.bd
Disclaimer:
The views expressed are not necessarily those of
the funding body. The case studies are based on
the information provided by the companies and
have not been verified or investigated.
3. Contents Introduction 4
Project Context 5
Foreword 6
Case Study 1 – Aarong 10
Case Study 2 – Bibi Russell 12
Case Study 3 – Ethical Fashion Forum 14
Case Study 4 – Jatra 16
Case Study 5 – Juste 18
Case Study 6 – Kumunidi 20
Case Study 7 – Prabartana 22
Case Study 8 – Viyelletex 24
Conclusion 26
4. Introduction This set of case studies builds on the work of Steps
towards Sustainability: Snapshot Bangladesh,
available to download on www.sustainable-fashion.
com/resources.
The UK Government’s Department for International
Development (DfiD) has invested up to £3million
per year in the Development Partnerships in Higher
Education programme (DelPHE). The overall goal is
to enable higher education institutions (HEIs) to act
as catalysts for poverty reduction and sustainable
development. DelPHE aims to achieve this by
building and strengthening the capacity of HEIs to
contribute towards the UN Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and promote science and technology-
related knowledge and skills. The DelPHE
programme is based on a partnership between
the British Council, DfiD and the participating
institutions. The British Council is responsible for the
management and delivery of DelPHE.
These case studies are an output of the Development
Partnerships in Higher Education (DelPHE) project
that has brought together London College of
Fashion (LCF), the BGMEA Institute of Fashion
Technology (BIFT) in Dhaka and the United Nations
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to
deliver research that explores best practice and
ways forward to improve the competitiveness of the
Bangladesh manufacturing sector to add value in
this area. This research project brings together UK
and Bangladesh research teams:
• London College of Fashion/University of Arts
London (LCF) – Dr Lynne Hammond, Elizabeth
Parker and Hannah Higginson
• BGMEA Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT)
in Dhaka – Reaz Bin-Mahmood and Rushmita
Alam
• United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO) – John Smith and Munira
Rahman
4
5. The project context As retailers are increasingly under pressure to
ensure that ethical and environmental standards
run all the way through the supply chain, there is a
need for research projects to explore best practice
and ways forward to improve the competitiveness of
the Bangladesh manufacturing sector to add value
in this area.
Bangladesh and the UK are countries that share
a reliance on the fashion and textile industry.
Through the weaving of cloth, the manufacture of
garments, the marketing and promotion of fashion
and the consumption and disposal of clothes the
two countries and their people are connected
by the industry’s complex web. In both countries
people have started to ask questions about the
environmental, social and economic sustainability
of the industry as it currently operates. Misuse of
limited natural resources, poor working conditions,
overconsumption and waste are some of the
challenges that are causing people to reflect on how
we can ensure the industry thrives in the future.
These case studies document how different
companies at various stages of the fashion cycle
are innovating to find more sustainable solutions
to these challenges. They are not intended to be
a blueprint for more sustainable practice. Rather,
we hope that they encourage critical and creative
thinking about the current fashion system, the
barriers that are currently hampering sustainable
practice and the opportunities for overcoming
these challenges. We hope that those working in
industry and involved in fashion education find
these case studies a source of inspiration in their
own exploration of what it means to work towards
sustainability in fashion.
Three other longer case studies (People Tree, New
Look and Aranya) are available in Steps Towards
Sustainability in Fashion: Snapshot Bangladesh A
resource for fashion students and educators
http://fashioninganethicalindustry.org/resources/
reports/snapshotbangladesh/
5
6. Foreword BGMEA/BIFT and Introduction to the RMG sector
in Bangladesh
BGMEA’s (Bangladesh Garment Manufacture &
Exporters Association) dream was to establish an
Institute of Fashion & Technology so that the young
people of Bangladesh can achieve a higher degree
of professionalism, and experience an international
education so as to cope with the global nature of
our industry and meet the challenges of the future.
As Garment Production for export has been the key
factor of industrialization and trade in our country
for the last 20 years and this industry has provided
a route to growth and reduced poverty. So there
is a need for a high quality fashion and apparel
education institution like BIFT in Dhaka to ensure
that the sector can compete and excel in the world of
Fashion & Apparel manufacture. Since 1999, BGMEA
Institute of Fashion & Technology (BIFT) is providing
mid managers to RMG sectors of Bangladesh, which
enables entrepreneurs to expand and establish
Bangladesh as a world leader of fashion as well as
production. BIFT’s courses have been created to
produce student's with creative and lateral thinking
skills with knowledge of modern management and
technologies and a global approach to business.
This is a great pleasure that BIFT is currently
engaged with London College of Fashion &
UNIDO for this DelPHE project. This project has
three aims: firstly to ascertain what the current
practice of sustainable issues are and what are the
opportunities for the industry to deal with it; secondly
what needs to be considered when designing
and manufacturing eco-friendly products in
Bangladesh; and thirdly to transfer this knowledge
to BIFT’s curriculum, so that the knowledge can
be communicated to the industry through classes/
seminars or workshops. This is enabling BIFT to
navigate educational approaches that are moving
us towards being a truly international fashion
institute.
Reaz Bin-Mahmood, Vice President of the BGMEA
Institute of Fashion & Technology
6
7. Fashion Sustainability – Diverse Perspectives – UNIDO
How can Bangladesh deal with these challenges? The tri-partite proposal by BIFT (Bangladesh
Sustainability is a multi-faceted concept that has Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association
different meanings to different people. In today’s Institute of Fashion Technology), LCF (London
competitive global fashion industry it is not only the College of Fashion, University of Arts London) and
environmental issues that have to be addressed but UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development
also the ethical and social justice challenges such as Organisation) was a successful application
fair trade and economic fairness that helps to build submitted to the DFID (Managed by the British
an environment that allows everyone to flourish. Council) for funding the DelPHE project on
sustainable fashion. UNIDO is very pleased that
To face the global fashion industry challenges, BIFT and LCF were deservedly successful. BIFT has
there is a need for research projects that explore developed significantly over the last five years to
best practice and ways forward to improve the a point where students are winning international
competitiveness of the Bangladesh manufacturing competitions and the Institute is participating in
sector through adding value in this area. By International Cooperation projects. In today’s
blending research, education and practical solutions, troubled world the necessity of developing
the DelpHE project is working so as to help the world sustainable fashion is increasingly evident. What
build a path towards a better sustainability practices. may initially appear to be a contradictory goal
We hope this project will help us to understand this (fashion implies multiple change for changes sake,
issue – “sustainability” – more comprehensively and sustainable implies little change!) is increasingly
guide our RMG sector to deal with these challenges becoming essential to minimize the adverse
more effectively. If we cannot make a better future human impact on our planet. Sustainable fashion
for the next generation, at least we should not harm challenges the present modus operandi and
it. We have no right to make it so worse so that our stimulates original thought and development.
children cannot breathe one day. UNIDO is pleased to be a catalyst in this very
important project.
These diverse concepts or ideas of sustainable
fashion, ranging from social issues, maintaining John T. Smith, International Co-ordinator UNIDO
ethical standards, design practice, manufacturing,
production, and/or consumption…etc., have led to
a range of different conclusions, however, many The readymade garment industry is a key sector in
focus on a common goal, to generate a more eco- the Bangladesh economy and this is the 4th largest
friendly environment that finds a balance between exporter in the world but its competitiveness has so
consumption, production, environmental and ethical far been exporting mid-end apparel products and
practice. Over the last few years, Bangladesh has to some extent lower range of products. BGMEA
made significant moves towards adopting ethical Institute of Fashion & Technology (BIFT) was
and environment approaches; such as banning of established in 1999 to cater to the need for skilled
plastic bags as a use of shopping bag and the use of human resources for the Ready Made Garment
jute products. Sector of Bangladesh. UNIDO is working closely
with BIFT to support their vision of improving their
Rushmita Alam, Head of Fashion Design and international supply chain management skills and
Technology of the BGMEA Institute of Fashion & improve their abilities to work closely with European
Technology buyers and retailers.
7
8. Bangladesh factories / manufacturers have to
respond to increased demands from retailers to
become environmentally friendly, and ensure
that their supply chain activities are compliant
to international standards. These pressures and
challenges require new knowledge to be embedded
into higher education systems to drive future and
positive change.
At the end of the year 2009 the United Nations
climate change conference took place in
Copenhagen, which was about environmental
friendly issues and the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development in Geneva hosted an
EcoChic fair, “featuring fashion show” in which well
known designers created garments out of natural
fibres manufactured in the “most sustainable
way”. Sustainable fashion implies a commitment
to traditional techniques, not just the art of making
clothes, but also to ensure that the next generation
of seamstresses and tailors have the skills necessary
to develop clothes that are not only beautiful but
extremely well made.
British Council manages and DFID funding DelPHE
(Development Partnership in Higher Education)
give the opportunity to work on this tripartite
research activities both in UK and Bangladesh.
UNIDO is facilitating as a link to coordinate UK and
Bangladesh institutes.
Munira Rahma, National Co-ordinator UNIDO BEST
8
10. Aarong: Aarong, a successful, design-led fashion brand
retailing clothing linen, shoes, accessories and home
working with 35,000 décor products in Bangladesh, was established by
BRAC, an influential Bangladeshi non-governmental
producers organisation, in 1978. The company has gone on
to enjoy huge success; it has eight stores across
Bangladesh and an authorised dealership in
London. Aarong’s CEO, Tamara Abed, argues
that they are successful because the company has
managed to balance doing the right thing whilst
keeping prices affordable both in Bangladesh and
internationally.
Aarong is a member of the World Fair Trade
Organisation (WFTO) and its mission is to create
livelihoods for women in their own villages and
to establish a marketing chain for artisans. The
company sources products through both their own
foundation, the Ayesha Abed Foundation (70% of
textiles), and directly from individual artisans (30%).
Through their network of 13 regional centres and
623 sub-centres, the Foundation manage production
from approximately 35,000 marginalised women
working on dyeing, printing, embroidery and
stitching for garments and home textiles. The women
work out of the centres, rather than in their homes, a
decision made primarily for quality control reasons.
As well as benefiting from employment, through
village based organisations the producers also
access BRAC services such as healthcare, education
and micro-credit. The Ayesha Abed Foundation
provides financial and technical assistance, and
training to develop the women’s skills in various
crafts.
Wages vary according to the time of year but they
are generally in the range of 2500 to 4000 taka
(£23 - £37). The current minimum wage for an entry
level worker in Bangladesh was set at 3000 taka in
July 2010, and so Aarong acknowledge that these
wages are lower than this rate. However, Tamara
argues that because BRAC provides services such
as healthcare and education and the cost of living
is lower in rural areas it is difficult to compare the
working conditions of these artisans workers with
10
11. mainstream garment factories. Nevertheless, Aarong
recognise the need to look into the needs of the
women that produce for it and determine whether
their wages are high enough.
Websites
http://www.aarong.com
11
12. Bibi Productions: Founder of Bibi Productions, Bibi Russell’s interest in
fashion was sparked as a small girl when her father
fashion for development gave her a book on Chanel. In 1972, she was the
first Bangladeshi to study fashion design at London
College of Fashion, before establishing herself as an
international model for Vogue and Armani and other
well-known fashion brands.
She now heads-up and designs for Bibi Productions,
which sells a range of hand made products
including sarees, dresses, kurthas and shirts, as well
as jute bags and jewellery that are sold nationally
and internationally. Bibi’s collections for Bangladesh
are entirely made in Bangladesh and are inspired
by the vibrant colours of rickshaw arts and textile
traditions found across Bangaldesh. She uses
natural fibres, internationally approved dyes and
avoids plastic. Her production is based on quality
rather than quantity, ‘I don’t want to sell one or
thousands, I want to sell hundreds’.
Her priority is changing the lives of the rural
people she works with and she reinvests all of Bibi
Productions’ profit back into the people involved in
the company, arguing that fashion can play a role
in socio- economic development. She says, ‘Through
art and design, it is my intention to sensitise and
demonstrate the immense skills and expertise of
the local artisans, to preserve the heritage, to foster
creativity, to provide for employment opportunities,
to empower women and to contribute towards the
eradication of poverty’.
Bibi talks of her long-term commitment to the
communities in which she which works. The initial
training for artisans producing for Bibi Productions
takes two years, by which time the producers are
not only skilled in their craft but are familiar with the
different sizes of UK, Italy and Spain. Thousands of
artisans from villages across Bangladesh produce
for Bibi Productions and 45 people work alongside
Bibi in the head office in Dhaka, where some
products are also manufactured and quality control
takes place.
12
13. Bibi shares her ‘fashion for development’ philosophy Stories/Week-of-March-2-2008/Bibi-Russell
and practice in Asia, Latin America and Africa http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2004/02/03/
through her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador. coverstory.htm
Her design inspiration comes from the villages
where she works, whether that is in Bangladesh,
Cambodia, India or elsewhere. She believes that the
product has to be relevant to the producers and the
market in question.
Websites
http://bibirussell.net/index.html
Audio story http://www.worldvisionreport.org/
13
14. Ethical Fashion Forum: The Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) is a UK based
not for profit network focusing on social and
building networks environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.
EFF’s website www.ethicalfashionforum.com is
a one-stop shop for information about all aspects
of sustainability and fashion, including issues,
suppliers and competitions. A regular newsletter
is available highlighting key events, resources,
and opportunities within the sustainable fashion
world, as well as regular bulletins reporting on the
latest developments in sustainable fashion market,
business and supply.
EFF’s online community, the Ethical Fashion Network
www.ethicalfashionforum.com/network is free
and open for anyone to join. It connects thousands
of individuals, businesses, and organisations
interested in a more sustainable future for fashion.
A Bangladesh group has been set up on the site
to link everyone interested in sustainable fashion
and Bangladesh. Developing an online country
network can be an important step towards making
links that will strengthen sustainable fashion within
a country. Countries like Brazil and South Africa
have thriving networks on the site sustained by
educational institutions or individuals who have a
passion for sustainable fashion and use the resource
to organise social and professional events focused
on sustainable fashion.
EFF have also launched the Ethical Fashion
SOURCE [www.ethicalfashionforum.com/source],
the global platform for sustainable fashion, which
includes the SOURCE Directory; an industry
database where designers, suppliers, manufacturers
and other companies along the supply chain are
represented. It provides an opportunity to showcase
designers and producers working sustainably
from Bangladesh, UK and other countries around
the world. The SOURCE is a not-for-profit social
enterprise that provides a service for fee-paying
professionals from start-up companies to big
business. It offers different levels of access for
students and types of businesses. The SOURCE also
has dedicated business intelligence reported by
14
15. the monthly online SOURCE Magazine; providing or manufacturers to promote their products
information about everything you need to operate and services directly. Designers pioneering in
business sustainably including markets, finance, sustainable sourcing have the opportunity to be part
trade shows, and case-studies of brands. of an exclusive showcase, the Designer Pavilion, as
part of the Expo.
The Ethical Fashion SOURCE Expo is the annual
industry trade show run by EFF for suppliers of Websites
ethical and fair trade fabrics, components, and www.ethicalfashionforum.com
manufacture to the fashion industry. The event www.ethicalfashionforum.com/source
provides an important opportunity to meet suppliers
from all over the world face-to-face, and provides
a platform for ethical or fair trade suppliers
15
16. Jatra: Jatra is a ten year old Bangladeshi designer-craft
brand, which sells hand-made clothing, jewellery
design led and homeware. The company has a dynamic
product range with new ideas developed daily by
Bangladeshi brand it’s designers and product developers. Clothing
products tend to be made from natural fibres
including cotton and crafts from silk and jute
sourced in Bangladesh. Coconut shell, wood, paper
and recycled materials such as glass are also used
for homeware and the paper bags used to carry
products home are made from newspapers.
Anusheh Anadil, the founder and managing
director of Jatra is a prominent fusion musician in
Bangladesh. Through her brand she has created an
off-beat trend within Bangladesh, which is now also
enjoying success internationally. Jatra’s two Dhaka
showrooms reflect the distinctive signature vivid
colours of the brand’s designs that are inspired by
the rickshaw and folk art of Bangladesh.
According to their website, ‘Jatra’s motto has always
been to create quality products which should sell
on their own strength and not because they were
being made in a poverty stricken land by people
who badly need a source of income, with tags that
create pity’. The company employs 150 workers in
their workshops in Dhaka, and buy from 365 self-
employed artisans. Workers in the Dhaka workshop
are paid by piece, and their monthly take home
pay is not less than 8000 taka – considerably more
than the minimum wage for garment workers in the
ready made garment factories set at 3000 Taka in
July 2010. When Jatra established a new relationship
with artisans, it provides work whilst raising
awareness of ethical and environmental factors.
Once the artisans are solvent, Jatra starts to monitor
artisans to ensure they are meetings ethical and
environmental standards.
Website
www.jatrabd.com
16
18. juste: Tamsin Lejeune, founder of high-end fashion brand
juste, developed the company’s supply chain with
a start-up fashion Bangladesh based companies. Within four seasons
she built relationships with suppliers, established a
brand’s experience of market for the brand and secured financial backing.
sourcing ethically When starting out Tamsin contacted suppliers listed
on the IFAT (now the World Fair Trade Organisation)
website but when she received almost no responses
she took the opportunity to make face-to-face
contacts at an IFAT conference. One of the contacts
she made was with Ruby Ghuznavi from Aranya
(featured in Steps towards Sustainability: Snapshot
Bangladesh) in Bangladesh, who inspired her to visit
Bangladesh. Tamsin undertook a whirlwind trip to
Bangladesh in 2005, meeting many producers before
deciding to work with Aranya.
While the fair trade production sector in Bangladesh
incorporates highly skilled producers of textiles, print
and embellishment, high-end garment construction
skills were very limited at the time. Therefore,
juste’s first collection was designed on the basis of
very simple pattern cutting, with a tailored finish
achieved through wrapping techniques.
Tamsin aimed her brand at London boutiques
selling high end fashion products. Buyers were
supportive and interested in the story behind the
product, however, they advised that the wrapped
designs would be less appealing to their primary
market – women over 35.
In order to overcome this Tamsin identified a
sampling unit which was already producing high-
end designer fashion product and built connections
between this sampling unit and the fair trade fabric
suppliers to create a supply structure to ensure the
quality required.
Tamsin enlisted a number of talented “Designers for
juste” who created samples which could be made by
the producers in the new supply structure and which
were well received by buyers. The fact that buyers
had played an advisory role in the design process
was an advantage, making them more inclined to
review or stock ranges.
18
19. Tamsin says that frequently, fair trade brands see Tamsin made the difficult decision to focus her
no alternative than to manage the entire production energies on developing the Ethical Fashion Forum,
process from design through to delivery. Working also profiled in this publication. Whilst juste was
with fair trade suppliers with limited experience in making a difference for the suppliers it supported, the
high-end fashion products can put enormous strain Ethical Fashion Forum makes it possible to facilitate
on small brands with limited budgets. It can be fair trade and ethical supply chains for thousands of
avoided through partnership at the production end businesses, and consequently benefits hundreds of
of the supply chain. Bangladesh offers a particular thousands of people behind their products.
opportunity in that it has a major commercial
garment production sector which can be called upon Website
to support or partner with the fair trade sector. www.sustainable-fashion.com/resources
juste traded successfully for four seasons before
19
20. Kumundi Handicrafts: Kumudini Handicrafts, based in Narayangonj, a
famous jute processing centre outside of Dhaka,
community engagement Bangladesh, make traditional and contemporary
textiles and clothing for local and international
markets. The organisation is just one part of the
Kumundini Trust, which was set up as to support the
welfare of rural Bangladeshi people. Starting with
jute, the handicraft business was established to give
employment to women that lost their husbands and
sons in the 1971 War of Independence.
Today 100 people including highly skilled
weavers, block printers, embroiders and dyers
are employed in the workshop at the Kumundini
headoffice. Product development staff also work
from Narayangonj, and lead on design or work
collaboratively with buyers on product specification.
Kumundini works with a further 25,000 women
artisans directly and indirectly across 17 districts
in Bangladesh. These women tend to fit the textile
production around their daily tasks, and mostly work
from production centres that have been established
across rural Bangladesh. They are organised into
small groups, headed by a team leader. Team
leaders come to the head office every two to three
months to deliver finished products and to collect
new designs and materials that she will then
distribute to the women in her group.
Their main focus is on socio-economic development,
but Kumundini also aspire to be environmentally
friendly, although they acknowledge they have some
way to go. They use both natural and chemical dyes
for example and if they buy in fabrics they request
that these are free of optical brighteners and banned
azo-dyes.
The company now has three stores in Bangladesh.
In 2010 they were also exporting 6500 pieces per
season of 14 designs to the UK for People Tree,
and this is increasing by at least 10% each year.
According to Kumundini, the relationship with
People Tree is long-term and positive; People Tree
designers and pattern makers visit regularly and
Kumundini staff attend training workshops that
20
21. brings together People Tree suppliers from across
Bangladesh. This training covers a wealth of subjects
that are focussed on building the skills of producers,
for example on maintaining quality management – a
common challenge for many artisanal producers.
Website
http://www.kumudinibd.org/handicrafts.htm
21
22. Prabartana: Prabartana is a specialist in handloom textiles from
different regions of Bangladesh, including nakshi-
handloom specialist buti sarees from Tangail, jamdani from Dhaka, silk
from Rajshahi and chapainababgonj and varieties
of jacquard saris from Shahzadpur Prabartana.
The project was established in 1989 by UBINIG
(UBINIG is the abbreviation of its Bengali name
Unnayan Bikalper Nitinirdharoni Gobeshona. In
English it means Policy Research for Development
Alternatives), an organisation that supports peoples’
movements with the aim of revitalizing the weaving
sector of Bangladesh. Their research into handloom
industries concluded that unemployment and
hardship for the people involved in the industry
would follow if the industry wasn’t supported.
Through Prabartana, weavers are supported
to improve the quality of their work and are
encouraged to develop their creativity and new
designs. Alongside this, education, skill training and
other activities are organised to enable communities
to take full advantage of the weaving sector.
Prabartana also aims to enhance the role of women
in Bangladesh by challenging the traditional
division of labour within weaving. It is a home-
based activity involving men, women and children
but men have tended to operate the looms, source
raw materials and market products. Prabartana’s
products are made by both men and women
weavers, aiming to ensure tasks are divided by
qualification rather than gender.
Prabartana have a store (showroom) in Dhaka for
it’s handloom products where customers can find
out more about how the textile are produced and
craft workers can exchange ideas and learn from
one another. Some of the company’s products are
exported, including to Ganesha in Covent Garden
and South Bank, London.
Websites:
http://membres.multimania.fr/ubinig/prabartana/
about.htm
http://www.ganesha.co.uk/profiles/Prabartana.htm
22
24. Viyellatex: Viyellatex, established in 1996, manufacture men’s,
women’s and children’s knit and woven clothing in
eco efficiency Bangladesh. Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Puma and
Esprit feature amongst its clients. It is a significant
player in the Bangladeshi industry with it’s turnover
in 2009-10 standing at nearly US$200million.
The company positions itself as a leader in
environmental responsibility in the sector, stating
in its mission that it is ‘committed for cleaner and
greener environment’.
The company has taken several steps towards
minimizing energy, water and waste in production
including:
• Converting a conventional fabric dryer to heat
recovery saving 25% of energy
• Recycling fabric waste
• Converting cotton dust and waste from 8000
workers’ lunches to compost – more than 150
tonnes of compost was collected last year
• Treating textile production effluent water in the
workers’ toilets saving more than 80million litres
of underground water per year
• Collecting 60 million litres of rainwater for use
in dyeing and other processes
The company also has plans for the future to build
a carbon neutral factory by 2011, designed to the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) rules devised by the US Green Building
Practices
Websites
Viyellatex Sustainability Report 2010
http://www.globalreporting.org/NR/rdonlyres/
C6AC9C6C-6FBF-418C-AE77-D6121281532C/4363/
GRIViyellatex2009.pdf
http://www.viyellatexgroup.com/component/content/
article/116.html
24
26. Conclusion This booklet aims to showcase UK and Bangladesh
companies that are championing innovative
sustainable business practices. These case studies
are intended to inspire and trigger innovation that
could be used by entrepreneurs to build better
sustainable fashion models and economies.
The booklet intends to encourage designers, buyers
and entrepreneurs to consider adopting ethical
supply chains so as to promote better business
decisions. Even if consumers pay higher prices
for clothing how can we ensure that this does
correlate with better ethical and environmental
values? What are the new business models of the
future and how can these new forms of businesses
balance slow growth, with financial vulnerability
especially during the early years of start up? These
case studies indicate that it is possible to grow new
enterprises with sustainability at the core of the
business philosophy.
Dr Lynne Hammond, Director of International
Partnerships Development at London College
of Fashion
26
27. Image Credits
Cover
Liz Parker (Kumundini)
Aarong
Liz Parker
Bibi
Liz Parker
Ethical Fashion Forum
Image: Design by Ada Zanditon, INNOVATION
Award winner 2010, www.adazanditon.com
Jatra
Jatra
Juste
Design by Jihye Yang for juste, made from jamdani
fabric sourced through Aranya in Bangladesh.
Kumundini
Liz Parker
Prabartana
Prabartana
Viyellatex
Viyellatex
Graphic Design
Shomil Shah
Printed on paper from responsible sources
Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to check and verify
other data referenced within this publication. It was
correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of
going to press (August 2011)
