Between 26^th and 29^th March, Dr. Lisa Koep, Dr. Jon Morris and Frederik Plewnia from the Chair for Sustainability Management and Environmental Accounting of TU Dresden hosted a 4-day expert plenary at the Asian University of Thailand (AIT), in Bangkok, Thailand. The plenum was held in context of the German-Bangladesh Higher Education Network for Sustainable Textiles project, funded by the German Academic Exchange and co-ordinated by Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) in partnership with Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) and Notre Dame University Bangladesh (NDUB). The aim of the project is to develop international co-operation to realize tangible improvement in higher education curriculum in Bangladesh in response to the needs for responsible and sustainable management in the textile and clothing sector. The event showcased research and development aimed at increasing the level of sustainability content into the curriculum of textile management and engineering courses offered by the Dhaka-based Universities.

A comprehensive program was designed to involve academic and industrial practitioners who met at the AIT campus and explored topics and experiences around sustainability strategies in the textile and apparel industry. Subject areas covered the supply chain processes involved in textile industry, from design to disposal. The workshop was designed to bring in greater representation for practitioners with experiences of managing sustainability challenges in the textile industry and provide feed-back and recommendations for future curriculum design. The following guest speakers were invited to present at the event:

• “Textile Education in Bangladesh: Opportunities and Challenges in Managerial Prerogative” Md. Abu Taher (South East University, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Sustainability Curriculum Preparation and its Implementation” Ayub Nabi Khan (BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Shared Frameworks for Sustainability” Kay Politowicz (University of Arts, London, United Kingdom)
• “Requirements of UGC for the Sustainability of Textile Engineering Curriculum – Bangladesh Aspects” Shah Alimuzzaman Belal (Bangladesh University of Textiles, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Circular Economy: Closing the Loop for textile & apparel manufacturing” Marina Chabouhne (Hess Natur Textilien GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany)
• “Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Concentration in Apparel Industries in Bangladesh” Quazi Abu Md. Mohiuddin (CEO, Babylon Group, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Textile Thinking for Sustainable Futures” Faith Kane (Massey University Wellington, New Zealand)           
• “Road map to Sustainable Textiles” Md. Nazirul Islam (Petrochem Corporation, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Sustainability Initiatives in DBL Group” Mohammad Zahidullah (DBL Group, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Certification Systems in the Textile Industry” Abdul Mottaleb (Global Sustainable Certification Services Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Auditing Procedures” Mahbub Khan (Systain Consulting GmbH, Dhaka, Bangladesh/Hamburg, Germany)
• “Necessity of Human Resources Management, Administration & Compliance activities to take the challenge of 2021 goal of the sustainable RMG industry” Md. Sharfaraz Ahmed (Palmal Group of Industries Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• “Sustainable Solutions: An overview of materials, techniques and systems for a more sustainable textile industry” Mairi Hare (Sourcebook GmbH, Berlin, Germany)
• “Sustainability, Fashion Buying and the Consumer” Dee Duffy (Technological University Dublin, Ireland)
• “Activism, Social Innovation and Service Design in Fashion Education, Re-search, and Business” Francesco Mazzarella (Centre for Sustainable Fashion, University of the Arts, London, UK)
• “Different topics on Sustainability need to be concern on Textile engineering curriculum for the sustainability of the industry as well as the mankind” Syful Alam Mallick (Auchan Retail International, Bangladesh) 

© Chaiwat Bootchai

© Chaiwat Bootchai