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The Documentary: Bangladesh's clothing conundrum

Bangladesh's clothing conundrum

11/07/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Bangladesh's clothing conundrum

Can clothes be sustainably produced and still remain affordable?

Many Western fashion brands source garments from Bangladesh, a country with a long history of producing affordable clothing. The industry suffered a devastating disaster in 2013 when the eight-storey Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka collapsed, costing the lives of more than 1100 workers. Ten years on, Bangladesh has tried to reinvent its image: it has brought in safer working conditions and is positioning itself as a sustainable green textile producer. 

Despite the extra costs of becoming more environmentally friendly, the clothes Bangladesh exports remain surprisingly affordable. In this documentary, fashion media producer and rights campaigner Sheemtana Shameem asks how this is possible. 

She looks into technologies to help sustainable production, examines what sustainability costs, and visits textile manufacturers to find out what it takes to ensure that sustainability itself remains sustainable. Ultimately, she asks, who is paying the price of Bangladesh’s textile industry going green? Will we all have to dig deeper into our pockets if we want to continue wearing clothes made in Bangladesh?

Producer: Shiroma Silva
A CTVC production for the BBC World Service

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