Palmal Group of Industries, one of Bangladesh’s largest ready-made garment exporters, has published its first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reports, covering three of its manufacturing units, the company said this week.
The reports, prepared for Aswad Composite Mills Ltd., Arkay Knit Dyeing Mills Ltd. and Ayesha Clothing Company Ltd., were developed with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, a widely used international framework for sustainability disclosure.
The initiative was carried out through Swisscontact’s PROGRESS project, a four-year program backed by the Swedish and Swiss governments that supports green growth in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector, with technical support from SGS Bangladesh, a testing, inspection and certification firm.
The completed reports were formally handed over to Adnan Imtiaz Majid, Director of Central Management at Palmal Group, during a recognition ceremony attended by senior company representatives. Marajul Islam, coordinator of the PROGRESS project at Swisscontact, and Mushfiqur Rabbi Turza, lead for ESG and sustainability services at SGS Bangladesh, presented the reports.
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Palmal Group said the disclosures mark a step toward strengthening data-driven sustainability performance, transparency and accountability across its operations. The company said it now plans to move toward group-wide ESG reporting, extending the practice beyond the three units covered in this year’s reports.
The move comes as Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry, which accounts for more than 84% of the country’s total exports, faces mounting pressure from international buyers and regulators to demonstrate credible sustainability practices. Swisscontact’s PROGRESS project has separately partnered with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Sustainability Nexus Ltd. to build local consultancy capacity for ESG reporting, aiming to make such disclosures more accessible for smaller factories.
SGS Bangladesh is also supporting five other RMG factories in preparing similar ESG reports as part of its broader collaboration with Swisscontact, according to earlier statements from the two organizations.
Industry analysts say credible ESG reporting is increasingly becoming a competitive requirement for Bangladeshi apparel manufacturers seeking to retain contracts with global fashion brands, many of which now require suppliers to disclose environmental and labor practices in line with international standards.
Palmal Group thanked Swisscontact, SGS Bangladesh and its own staff for their contributions to the initiative, describing the 2024 reports as the beginning of a broader sustainability journey for the group.
The PROGRESS project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh, runs through 2026 and focuses on productivity, compliance and environmentally sustainable practices across the RMG sector.