Bangladesh’s garment industry leaders called for a structured, system-wide approach to innovation on Saturday, as the world’s second-largest apparel exporter faces shrinking market share, tougher sourcing rules and the eventual loss of duty-free access.
The plenary seminar, “Strategy for Systemic Innovation Implementation,” was held at Textile Innovation Expo 2026 in Dhaka, drawing industry executives, policymakers, trade experts and global brand representatives. The session ran from 10:45 a.m. to noon in Hall 05 of the International Convention City Bashundhara, within the expo’s Innovation Demonstration Zone.
Bangladesh earned $39.34 billion from garment exports in fiscal 2024-25, about 81% of merchandise exports, according to figures cited at the event. Its share of the $557 billion global apparel trade, however, slipped to 6.90% in 2024 from 7.38% a year earlier. Organisers said sourcing is being reshaped by Industry 4.0 technologies, environmental, social and governance rules, Digital Product Passport requirements and tariff uncertainty, while graduation from least-developed-country status will eventually end duty-free access.
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In the keynote, Masco Group Executive Director ATM Mahbubul Alam Milton, a steering board member of Textile Innovation Exchange (TIE), described open, incremental, radical, architectural and disruptive innovation. He proposed a five-stage model covering idea generation, evaluation, impact assessment, research and testing, and commercialisation, and said cost savings and profitability are the main measures of value creation.
A panel moderated by Mohammad Hasan, managing director of Cotton Group, discussed industry-academia collaboration, data sharing and value addition. Panelists also cited energy security, high costs of doing business, bank interest rates, pricing strategies and skilled labour shortages as obstacles, and urged stronger government support.
Speakers also urged building an innovation ecosystem, adopting artificial intelligence, preparing for Digital Product Passports and investing in research and education. TIE Chairman Ehsanul Karim Kaiser presented mementos to the distinguished guests at the close.