GIZ, Huntsman To Help Manage Chemicals In Bangladesh's Garment Factories

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GIZ, Huntsman To Help Manage Chemicals In Bangladesh's Garment Factories

German international cooperation agency GIZ has signed a deal with global industrial chemical manufacturer Huntsman to help Bangladesh's textile factories eliminate the use of hazardous substances from their production process. The memorandum of understanding was signed between Huntsman and PSES (Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry), a Bangladeshi and German government's joint project implemented by GIZ, at the GIZ office in Dhaka.

Huntsman and GIZ will cooperate to improve the management of chemicals in 10 textile mills in Bangladesh under the deal, GIZ said in a statement.

The initiative forms part of Huntsman's role in the ZDHC, the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals programme of 17 leading apparel and footwear makers, designed to help the industry eliminate hazardous chemicals from their products by 2020.

GIZ and Huntsman will support best practices in chemical management and implementation to contribute to a cleaner environment, according to the statement. GIZ has been conducting training in Bangladesh in chemical management, which includes handling and storage of chemicals, improving workplace safety, achieving cost savings and complying with environmental laws.

Huntsman will work with GIZ and bring in expertise on the optimisation of washing and dyeing processes. "Huntsman has been doing business in Bangladesh successfully for the last 42 years," said Peter Gregory, brand and retail marketing director of Huntsman Textile Effects. "We plan to upscale our sustainability services and offer more environment-friendly products for Bangladeshi suppliers of textiles."

Magnus Schmid, programme coordinator of PSES said textile factories in Bangladesh should take environmental issues more seriously. GIZ's chemical management programme has trained 60 consultants from at least 20 service providing organisations so far.