Sustainable cotton is win for both Bangladesh-US; envoy says

Bangladesh requires high-quality US cotton to fuel its growth and enhance its foreign exchange revenues, while US consumers rely on Bangladesh-made, high-quality clothes, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D Haas says.

Bangladesh is the world's second-largest cotton importer, and purchasing sustainable cotton from the United States is a major win for both countries, according to US Ambassador.

On Monday, he spoke at Cotton USA's seminar on "Peak Performance and Sustainable Sourcing" in Dhaka.

He also praised the decision to remove the fumigation requirement for US cotton, calling it a huge victory that will allow the US to capitalize on its potential in this booming market.

“Through substantial cooperation and collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, led by the US Department of Agriculture, and immense support from the cotton industry, Bangladesh conducted a risk assessment and concluded that US growers, as of May 16 can now ship cotton to Bangladesh without any market access barriers,” he added.

He also said that working together with Bangladesh to solve this issue is a great example of how these two countries can collaborate to increase prosperity and remove trade barriers.   

“Bangladesh is the seventh largest export market for US cotton, exceeding $475mn in export value in 2022. Previously, fumigation imposed long delays in the delivery of US cotton,” he added.

He also said that US cotton is the best in the world, of high-quality and sustainable—and they have the data to prove it.

Bangladesh's leadership in the global garment industry also comes with expectations and obligations.   

“These include not just sourcing high-quality and sustainably grown cotton and producing good quality products, but also ensuring good, safe working conditions where workers' rights and dignity are respected,” he added.

He urged the brands to play a crucial role in using sustainably sourced cotton, pushing for fairer pricing, and improving labour rights, particularly on freedom of association and collective bargaining in the RMG sector.

Currently, 100 Bangladeshi companies are partners of the US Cotton Trust Protocol.

The US envoy said that he is impressed by the many concrete steps that Bangladeshi companies have taken to improve sustainability throughout the RMG industry.   

“Circularity, LEED-certified factories, joining the Trust Protocol; this list goes on.  The United States has been a proud partner of Bangladesh since its independence and also the largest RMG customer.   We have a lot to celebrate in our relationship and look forward to continuing to work together over the next 50 years and beyond,” he added.