In my July 2024 column, I talked about a huge gap in and high demand for communication professionals in the apparel industry of Bangladesh. A point I touched on was why not all communication agencies can serve the needs of the apparel industry. The short answer was, industry-specific knowledge is a big requirement and these agencies do not necessarily have that. In this column, we’ll expand on that, and highlight the issues and topics a communication professional must be adept at if they are to build a thriving career in the apparel industry.
SDG, ESG & Circularity
No matter the industry, knowledge about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is imperative. The apparel industry is no exception but is unique in the sense that its activities, operations and decisions affect all 17 sustainable development goals. This means, a professional who has aspirations to build their career in apparel communication and branding needs to know what the 17 SDGs are, the targets of each SDG, and how the SDGs can be achieved and promoted.
Then comes ESG which stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Apparel brands and the fashion industry are vehemently pursuing this. Branding and communication professionals who do not have a proper grasp of ESG considerations will struggle to relay the success stories of their companies in an effective manner. I’ll give short examples of ESG considerations. ‘Environmental’ could be carbon emission reduction, water sustainability, energy efficiency, green building and green jobs. ‘Social’ can entail strategies related to Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) initiatives. ‘Governance’ considerations could be inclusivity and gender equality in the fashion supply chain.
This brings us to circularity. Even the most sustainable, environmentally conscious and socially responsible companies are investing in circularity practices like the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Circularity, along with SDG and ESG are all the more important now than any time before because countries in the European Union are proposing legislations which are expected to be mandatory from 2027. This means business will not go on as usual.
Legislations, Reports & Presentations
From 2027, apparel companies that do not comply with EU legislations will not be able to conduct business with European countries. Since about 60% of our total apparel export goes to the European Union, knowing about the legislations coming into force becomes mandatory. Some legislations we should be expecting in the near future are the EU Sustainable Textile Policy, EU Green Deal, EU Due Diligence, Digital Product Passport, and Extended Producer Responsibility. Most of these legislations are to promote social sustainability, environmental concerns and adherence to human rights in the global apparel supply chain.
Communication and branding professionals will need to know how these legislations will affect the companies they might be working for. For instance, companies will need to make certain provisions, publish due diligence policies, publish sustainability reports and be transparent about monitoring processes. This effectively means apparel communication professionals will need to be skilled at report writing, publishing, and public presentation.
Innovation & Automation
The apparel world is evolving so fast, that new automation processes and innovation strategies are always around the corner, finding new ways to solve environmental and human issues by reducing carbon emissions, making energy utilisation more efficient, increasing worker productivity and skill set, and enhancing human capital.
If we observe the landscape from afar, we’ll see that apparel communication and branding requirements are all aspects of the apparel industry at the current cross-section of the fourth industrial revolution. The EU legislations are all in response to the UN SDGs, the ESGs are considerations to help achieve individual SDG targets, and circularity is one of the most effective models being adopted globally across all industries.
If you are a recent graduate, build your knowledge on these topics, understand the issues, and apply your communication skills to tell the story of how they’ve been developing in the apparel industry. If you can work your skill set here, you can prove yourself an asset to any communication and branding department in any apparel brand or company in Bangladesh.
Omar Gias is a Director of Strategic Engagement for the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), with more than 17 years of experience in communication.
