INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES
BGMEA to provide PPE
to healthcare profes-
sionals
In the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, The
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers
and Exporters Association (BGMEA),
has come forward to provide PPE suits
to healthcare personnel including doc-
tors, nurses and hospital workers in
Bangladesh. In the current situation law
enforcement agencies and many other
institutions are also wanting PPEs.
Currently BGMEA is making at least
20,000 PPEs for donation. What we are
making is a substitute of level-1 PPE.
Corona patient treating doctors and
staff need level 3/4. Our product is not
certified. It is just 100% waterproof and
the design is close to a professional
PPE. Our suits will mostly be worn by
support workers and doctors who are
right now scared to attend their jobs
because of what is happening in the
world. They expect protection for all
activities, not only when treating pa-
tients with Corona symptoms.
We are helping with whatever we have
right now as our frontier health work-
ers have no protection. Our fabrication
and garments already have an approval
from the Director General of Health
Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health.
They have certified them as Level-1
Substitutes. Currently many of our
members are donating fabrics. We are
also planning to fund buying some fab-
rics. The fabric mills who are also our
members are selling the fabric below
cost in a sign of solidarity. We will be
distributing the PPEs to DGHS along
with other Government and Semi-Gov-
ernment organizations. We are also
working in a coalition with other orga-
nizations and NGOs as all our goals
are the same.
PPE suits are not natively made by
our garment producers. The medical
grade and WHO standard fabric has to
be imported and also mainly from
China.
Moreover, on the production side if weare to make PPE suits for medical use the factories have to be retooled with
seam sealing machines along with some other specialized machinery. Sterile
factory environment also has to be maintained and necessary certification and
training need to be conducted. This will require at least 6 months or more for
any Bangladeshi factory.
We are alternatively sourcing fabric from China which currently has a lead time
of 15-20 days because of severe delays in air freight routes. As soon as we can
get the certified fabric we will be switching to certified and imported fabrics for
our PPE.
Our ultimate goal is to export PPEs to the rest of the world and we want to do
it very fast. We are already in a discussion with a coalition of ILO, WHO, WFP,
UNICEF and other organizations who we have sought help from for assistance
to expedite the process of converting our production capabilities available in
Bangladesh to produce PPEs. They will assist us with supply chain and techni-
cal knowledge sharing. This effort is already ongoing. With their assistance it
will take the industry between six months to one year have the proper know
how’s and machines and materials to produce export grade PPE.
Joint Statement on Responsible Purchasing
Practices amid the COVID-19 Crisis
During this unprecedented time of global outbreak of the COVID-19, respon-
sible business has become more important than ever for the whole world to
survive and recover from the crisis. Especially, responsible purchasing prac-
tices of brand companies, retailers and traders of the global textile and apparel
supply chains, will bring enormous impacts on the fundamental rights of mil-
lions of workers and the livelihood of their families in the supplier end. It is time
for global businesses to uphold and honor their commitment to labor rights,
social responsibility and sustainable supply chains.
With this in mind, we, the undersigned nine textile and garment business asso-
ciations of the STAR Network (Sustainable Textile of Asian Region) from six
producing and export countries, hereby call on global brand companies, retail-
ers and traders to:
1. Carefully consider all potential impacts on workers, small businesses in the
supply chain when taking significant purchasing decisions;
2. Honor the terms of purchasing contracts, fulfil obligations therein, and not
re-negotiate price or payment terms;
3. Take delivery or shipment, and proceed with payment as agreed upon for
goods already produced and currently in production with materials ready,
and not cancel orders which are already in production;
NCM-APRIL 2020
82