Urmi Group, a Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate with interests in ready-made garments, textiles, retail, navigation and agriculture, has signed a memorandum of understanding with SME Foundation to strengthen cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) in the country’s textile and garment sector.
The agreement, signed in Dhaka on Aug. 13, establishes a three-year public-private partnership aimed at improving small enterprises’ access to affordable raw materials, technical skills and market linkages.
Under the agreement, Urmi Group will provide quality surplus textile materials to CMSME clusters identified by SME Foundation at affordable and transparent prices. The two organizations will also jointly develop and deliver training on entrepreneurship, garment stitching, and machine operation and maintenance.
The partnership will place particular emphasis on rural and urban women entrepreneurs, in line with SME Foundation’s mandate to integrate women-led enterprises into the mainstream economy.
The collaboration is also focused on circularity. Urmi Group said it already repurposes fabric and garment waste into sustainable materials under a closed-loop production model. Under the partnership, surplus materials that might otherwise remain unused will be made available as affordable inputs for small entrepreneurs.
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“This partnership shows what public and private sectors can achieve together. By putting our surplus materials to work for small and women-led enterprises, we are turning waste into opportunity and building a more circular, inclusive industry,” said Shamarukh Fakhruddin, Director, Urmi Group.
“This initiative would strengthen the skills and business management capacity of small and micro entrepreneurs while helping them become more closely integrated into the textile and garment supply chain,” said Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, Managing Director, SME Foundation.
The partnership will be implemented through a jointly developed Standard Operating Procedure, while a shared Monitoring Team will track indicators including entrepreneur income, employment generation and machinery utilization.
Urmi Group and SME Foundation will also hold Quarterly Report Review Meetings to assess progress and jointly facilitate CMSME participation in National SME Product Fairs and other platforms to increase market visibility for emerging enterprises.
The MoU will remain effective for an initial three-year term from the date of signing and reflects the two organizations’ shared commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, circularity and women’s empowerment.
Urmi Group is a Bangladeshi group of companies operating across ready-made garments, textiles, retail, navigation and agro. Its concerns include Fakhruddin Textile Mills Ltd (FTML), the group’s largest textile and RMG production unit, Urmi Garments Ltd (UGL), and UHM Ltd, which supply premium apparel to global brands while advancing sustainability, inclusivity and ethical manufacturing practices.
Urmi Group is committed to minimizing waste and maximizing resource efficiency across its operations, repurposing fabric and garment waste into sustainable materials and innovative solutions in pursuit of a closed-loop, circular production model.
SME Foundation (SMEF) is the apex national institution for the promotion and development of small and medium enterprises in Bangladesh. Established in 2006 under the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, SMEF serves as the principal implementing authority for the National SME Policy.
Its mandate includes policy advocacy, facilitating access to finance, skill development and capacity building, technology adoption and cluster-based enterprise development nationwide, with particular emphasis on empowering women entrepreneurs and integrating them into the mainstream business landscape.