Recently, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), in collaboration with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) and the BSRM School of Engineering at BRAC University, organized a knowledge-sharing event to present insights from a 1.5-year-long project “Exploring Adoption of Renewable Energy Technology (RET) among Apparel Exporters in Bangladesh: Policy Landscape, Current Capacities, and Future Pathways” supported by Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries (PEDL), a program by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
As the study’s principal investigator, Dr. Atonu Rabbani, professor of the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, and senior research fellow, JPGSPH, presented the study’s findings based on the survey and key informant interviews. Dr. A. S. Nazmul Huda (Associate Professor, Department of EEE, BSRM School of Engineering, BRACU) presented case studies on techno-economic analysis.
Dr. Matin Abdullah, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at BRAC University and Technical Lead of the Mapped in Bangladesh (MiB) project, moderated the event. Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, the pro-vice-chancellor and acting vice-chancellor of BRAC University, was the Chief Guest.
The study covered the apparel exporting factories under the Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) area in Dhaka South City Corporation and Narayanganj. The factories were located based on the geo-locations provided by MiB implemented by CED-BRACU, which has mapped all the export-oriented RMG factories in Bangladesh.
A total of 399 export-oriented RMG factories responded to the survey. The study found that there has been a low adoption of renewable energy among the surveyed factories.
Only 7.27% (29 factories) reported using renewable energy and 6.51% (26 factories) used solar energy. However, 88.97% (355 respondents) knew about Renewable Energy, and 58% of the total respondents stated that it is “extremely important” for the environment to use Renewable Energy.
These findings shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by the apparel exporting industry in adopting RE technologies. As we move towards a greener future, it is imperative for stakeholders to collaborate and find innovative solutions to overcome financial barriers and drive the widespread adoption of renewable energy in this sector.
In the program, notable attendees included Mr. Michael Klode from GIZ Bangladesh, Mr. Miran Ali (米然·阿里）, Vice President of Brand BGMEA, and Ms. Samia Tunazzin, Sustainability Executive of DBL Group.