DIGITALIZATION THE NEXT DESTINATION
2NDEDITION | POST SUMMIT REPORT | 2NDMAY 2019 BANGLADESH FASHIONOLOGY SUMMIT
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FOREWORD Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) is an organisation established to promote Bangladesh apparel industry. It aims to offer a platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise, combined with the best working practices. The BAE organized the 2nd edition of Bangladesh Fashionology Summit on 2nd May 2019 at the International Convention City in Bashundhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The summit aimed at putting in place a dialogue between all stakeholders in the apparel industry as it progresses rapidly towards the 4t h industrial revolution. The topic for the summit was “DIGITALIZATION - THE NEXT GENERATION�. The Bangladesh Fashionology Summit brought together in excess of 500 delegates and speakers spanning 20 countries to debate and find recommendations for the course of action the Bangladesh apparel sector should take as it progresses towards the 4t h industrial revolution. This compendium has accommodated all the key discussions as well as recommendations made at the summit with the view to providing a roadmap to policymakers and all the stakeholders for taking the industry forward. I must thank Brooke Roberts-Islam for her great efforts in analysing the summit discussions and for her help in making it possible to bring out this wonderful resource for the future of Bangladesh apparel industry.
MOSTAFIZ UDDIN Founder & CEO Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE)
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INTRODUCTION The apparel sector of Bangladesh has seen excellent growth in the past 35 years to become the second largest exporter of ready-made goods after China. It is estimated by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) that 50 million people have been brought out of extreme poverty through work in the apparel sector, but recent industrial and humanitarian disasters have highlighted the cost of cheap labour and of meeting the ever increasing demands by brands for cheaper product delivered more quickly. Where historically the biggest price being paid appeared to be low wages and unsafe facilities, now the biggest cost appears to job losses through automation and environmental impact of unsustainable practices. So, the apparel sector in Bangladesh is at a crossroads. Increasing implementation of automation has brought to light significant cultural and gender issues halting the progression of women - even where automation levels the playing field between genders. It has also highlighted the staggering reduction of the workforce from 80% female to 53% in recent years. This poses both a threat to Bangladesh achieving middle-income status and to the power of the apparel sector in Bangladesh as it’s highly skilled workforce are lost to domestic work, unemployment or worse, as automation causes job losses. It is widely accepted that to meet changing consumer demands for products driven by social media trends, automation and the digitalization of the apparel sector is required. This offers both opportunities and challenges. It was the remit of the second Bangladesh Fashionology Summit to address these and set out recommendations for how it should progress.
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