Swedish Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation Johan Forssell has said sustainability will be an important part of their future bilateral ties with Bangladesh and they look forward to enhancing their partnership within the green transition.
With the celebration of 50 years of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Sweden as a backdrop, the Swedish Minister said that Sweden wants to continue their common journey ahead.
He made the remarks (digital introductory remarks) at the first policy dialogue held within the newly launched initiative called the “Sustainable Fashion Platform” by Sweden in Bangladesh.
The event held on Wednesday focused on scaling up the Sweden-Bangladesh partnership in renewable energy within the RMG-sector.
PM’s Adviser on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury spoke as the chief guest.
Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde said Sweden sees potential for cooperation on sustainability within the RMG-sector.
She said both to sustain and strengthen Bangladesh’s competitiveness and respond to the Swedish RMG-brands ambitious climate goals, forthcoming EU regulations on sustainability, their overall global commitments and the changing consumer demands.
Ambassador Berg von Linde also underlined that Swedish green tech companies have a lot to offer in the wider domain of sustainability, both when it comes to services and solutions.
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Md. Habibur Rahman, Secretary, Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Munira Sultana, Chairperson, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) and Faruque Hassan, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) participated as special guests.
Ambassador of the European Union Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Sweden Mehdi Hasan, Resident Representative of UNDP Stefan Liller and President of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tahrin Aman also spoke at the event.
The Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh, together with the Swedish brands H&M, IKEA, and Lindex, along with the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and the Sweden-Bangladesh Business Council (SBBC), has set up an initiative called “Sustainable Fashion Platform” to combine and coordinate the efforts on sustainability within the RMG sector in Bangladesh under one umbrella.
The discussion was organised as a part of the initiative, which aims to strengthen Bangladesh’s global competitiveness and, at the same time, build a sustainable partnership, said the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday.
The Swedish RMG-brands associated with the Sustainable Fashion Platform, H&M, IKEA and Lindex, made a joint presentation during the event and Business Sweden informed about the matchmaking activities organized within the initiative that took place between Swedish RMG-brands, their suppliers and Swedish green tech companies, in September 2022, with the purpose of finding new arenas for collaborations.
Source: United News of Bangladesh