GOTS is hosting the `GOTS Bangladesh Seminar 2019`(GBDS19) with the theme `Connecting for Success` at the International Convention City Bashundhra (ICCB) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The GOTS Bangladesh Seminar 2019 serves to bring together key players of the organic textile industry, including brands, exporters, certifiers, chemical industry, and other significant stakeholders.
In 2018, Bangladesh reached second position, after India, in terms of the total number of GOTS certified facilities worldwide. This growth trend showcases the commitment of the Bangladeshi textile industry to not only organic fibres, but also to environmental and
social compliances. Fire and Building Safety are included in the GOTS criteria and the
country has shown significant progress in all these areas.
To sustain this growth, it is important that the industry is strongly connected with other
stakeholders along the organic textile value chain. While connections within the country
are important, active engagement with international stakeholders including suppliers and buyers are vital to the success of the industry as well.
The following topics will be covered in the seminar:
Sustainable Retail: Buyers from international brands and retailers sourcing in
Bangladesh will share and discuss their experiences and trends with garment
suppliers and other supply-chain partners.
GOTS Technical Criteria and its Implementation: The requirements for the
standard have consistently been evolving to keep pace with technical research
and market requirements. In this session latest criteria will be discussed, and
implementation partners will share their experiences with technical aspects of the
standard.
Connecting on the Job Workers and Management: This session explores
working conditions at garment (and other) factories in Bangladesh, connecting
workers and factory owners to discuss relevant social compliance issues.
Connecting Supply Chain Partners: In the ever-evolving market and
compliance landscape, coordination between supply-chain partners is paramount
to the success of textile supply-chains. This session connects key supply-chain
partners including garmenting, wet processing, testing, certifiers and chemical
suppliers to discuss challenges and opportunities at every step of the supply-
chain.
GOTS has been organising international and regional events since 2015. The Seminar
2019 is the second GOTS-event held in Bangladesh and the fifth event in the Indian
subcontinent region organised by GOTS. The first seminar in Bangladesh took place in
November 2016, counting 180 people from 5 countries. The seminar will be conducted in
English. For more details please visit the seminar website and download the seminar
agenda.
ABOUT GOTS:
GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest
processing (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with certified organic fibre (such as organic cotton and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social criteria. Key provisions include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highly hazardous chemicals (such as azo dyes and formaldehyde), and child labour, while requiring strong social compliance management systems and strict waste water treatment practices. GOTS was developed by leading international standard setters – Organic Trade Association (U.S.), Japan Organic Cotton Association, International Association Natural Textile Industry (Germany), and Soil Association (UK) to define globally-recognised requirements that
ensure the organic status of textiles, from field to finished product. GOTS is a non-profit organisation which is self-financed. For more information please see
www.global-standard.org.
