The European Union's due diligence directive is very important for Bangladesh's ready-made garment sector and exporters need to carefully consider and address human rights and environmental standards, EU Ambassador Charles Whiteley has said.

He made the remarks while speaking at the third policy dialogue within the Sustainable Fashion Platform by Sweden held in the city on Wednesday that focused on scaling up the Sweden-Bangladesh partnership on renewable energy linked to the RMG sector.

The EU policies, both internal and external, are guided by the European Green Deal and the EU Climate Law, the diplomat says.

"In particular, the recent EU due diligence directive is of high importance to the Bangladesh RMG sector and in the context of its impending 2026 LDC graduation."

The directive stipulates that companies exporting to the EU will need to carefully consider and address human rights and environmental standards on their operations and value chains, he added.

During his digital introductory remarks, Swedish Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation Johan Forssell said, "Bangladesh RMG sector in is of high strategic and economic importance for both of our countries."

And that Sweden was ready to support and partner up with Bangladesh in the green transition of the RMG sector, he said while speaking of the long and friendly relationship between Sweden and Bangladesh and how the area of sustainability would be a central element in the relations going forward.

Minister Forssell has recently visited Bangladesh together with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and the green and digital transition was one of the overarching themes of the visit.

During his visit, the minister visited a factory to observe the progress on transitioning to green and resource efficient production technologies in the RMG sector.

Swedish Ambassador Alexandra Berg von Linde said, "We see a great potential for Sweden and Bangladesh to cooperate within the area of renewable energy and in identifying opportunities, green solutions and sustainable financing mechanisms to increase availability of renewable energy for the RMG industry."

Speaking as the chief guest, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid emphasised that ensuring sustainability and decarbonisation in the apparel industry has become an existential issue for Bangladesh. In times such as these, we need to work together in bringing solutions and working proactively, rather reactively."

The high-level policy dialogue focused specifically on the establishment of the Corporate Power Purchasing Agreements (CPPAs).

The Swedish RMG brands associated with the Sustainable Fashion Platform, H&M Group, Ikea and Lindex made a joint presentation about the topic. The brand's presentation illustrated the importance of CPPAs for the green transition and continued competitiveness of the RMG sector in Bangladesh.

Md Mahbubur Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), and Abdullah Hil Rakib, vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), among others, spoke on the occasion.