Environmental sustainability requirements in the Ready-made Garment industry

Environmental sustainability has become a major concern in the fashion industry as it pollutes the natural environment significantly. Due to this concern, big retailers are under intense pressure from various stakeholders such as consumers, governments, non-government organisations, to address the environmental damages caused by their operations. In addition, to comply with regulations imposed by governments, retailers often come up with their environmental requirements and pass them to the next tier of the supply chain through supply chain contracts. This chapter unveils what happens to these requirements when it passes through upstream in the supply chain. Through a case study, it was shown that Bangladesh ready-made garment industry is facing extraordinary changes in environmental requirements and more importantly these requirements become even more stringent when it reaches the suppliers. It was revealed that there are several factors why the requirements become stringent, and this study suggests how Bangladeshi garment manufacturers can handle such stringent environmental requirements.