Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector Through Skills (PROGRESS)

In 2023, Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector Through Skills (PROGRESS) project completed its first activity period and this conclusion of performance (CoP) covers the intended results achieved during the reporting period from October 2022 to December 2023. This Conclusion on Performance has been prepared based on the inception Kick-off report submitted on May 31, 2023, Annual Report 2023 submitted on March 31, 2024, reports on different studies and several field visits conducted during the whole year. The project Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector Through Skills (PROGRESS) implemented by Swisscontact Bangladesh (the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation) aims to contribute to the development of an inclusive, environmentally responsible, and competitive RMG sector in Bangladesh that can offer productive, well paid, secured, and decent job opportunities to workers, mostly women, and at the same time, adapt to the evolving needs of the global market in terms of technological advancement and ESG standards. The project has two goals four sub-goals envisioned to be achieved over the four years (October 2022 to September 2026) of the project period. The project's primary objectives over the first half-year were integrating the personnel and establishing operations. Concurrently, studies and scoping initiatives were initiated. Furthermore, in order to comprehend the RMG factory mapping study and to get insights into industry trends, opportunities, and difficulties, the project held stakeholder meetings. To assess compliance and productivity, the team met with leading audit and certification companies. They also worked along with organizations that provided digital and technological solutions, including ERP systems and data automation. The project team assessed the skills, costs, and suitability of technology businesses for fulfilling the particular needs of RMG manufacturing. Furthermore, in light of the shift in the global market, they interacted with buying houses, multinational brands, and industry associations to learn about their needs and expectations for Bangladeshi factories. In order to reach important benchmarks, PROGRESS established alliances with private sector consulting service providers during the reporting period. These efforts, which focused on four important areas through industry-based training (IBT)Operator Development, Female Leadership, Management Staff, and Other Technical Trainingimmediately improved efficiency, empowered female supervisors, and improved trainee RMG workers' overall performance. A total of sixteen factories contributed to the initiative to install IBT systems during the year. Thus, the project has trained 2,155 workers (60% female) and 465 (18% female) management staff, with a 23% increase in efficiency after a 6-day operator development training. The project also implemented 17 environmental and social compliance initiatives, resulting in capacity building for 237 management staff (24% female). The female leadership training saw a 67% increase in trainees' performance due to efficiency, leadership skills, and reduced absenteeism. The initiative is expected to further up its efforts in 2024, especially in promoting gender parity in senior positions in the RMG industry. Considerable efforts are made to improve and empower women. By expanding on effective interventions, the initiative hopes to set standards for sustainability and skill development and have an impact on more industry practices. With its emphasis on women inclusion, cutting-edge green skills programs, and scaling up successful interventions, the project is positioned to have a long-lasting effect on Bangladesh's RMG industry. As part of its efforts to enhance the environmental and social compliance status of RMG factories, PROGRESS focuses on mainstreaming green skills to ensure factories receive more business and secure jobs for workers. In 2023, PROGRESS initiated the facilitation of the development of ESG report, holistic climate education, GHG accounting, strategic guidance for net-zero aspects and innovation in sustainability. Two exclusive training programs on green skills were piloted for RMG workers, with 124 workers (60% female) receiving training on basic green topics. Furthermore, PROGRESS engaged buyers to integrate Tier-2 and Tier-3 factories into ESG initiatives, enhancing transparency and supporting their ESG journey. With global scrutiny of sustainable practices in the fashion industry, there is a demand for reporting standards like ISSB, GRI, and ESRS. PROGRESS is exploring one-stop solutions for GHG accounting, automated sustainability reports, and comprehensive ESG dashboards. In 2024, PROGRESS plans to strengthen partnerships with buyers and expand its reach to five additional Tier-2 and one Tier-3 factories, implementing 35 additional initiatives. This innovation will help sustain ESG interventions in factories. The project has onboarded two local technical consultancy providers (LTCPs) and both tier-2 and tier-3 factories have actively participated in co-investment. The female leadership training has seen a 67% performance improvement on average, and the project will gain valuable insights into potential business incentives for future collaboration. To improve their prospects of doing business in the future, consulting service providers are also growing their teams, investing in human resources, and developing specific training programs. Recognizing the unexplored economic potential, they are also prepared to split expenses and contribute to the expansion of the local consulting services sector's capacity. In the beginning, the project has started the onboarding process for two local technical consulting providers (LTCPs), offering them the assistance and industry knowledge they need. Additional LTCPs will be explored and onboarded in the future. The MRM team developed an annual calendar to establish an accountable and transparent MRM system for the project, including onboarding M&E team members, template/database development, mapping of RMG factories, baseline study, gender study, log-frame indicators and targets, result chain and MRM plan development, GESI strategy development, and reporting. The Collective Impact Initiative (CI) is a platform for knowledge exchange, allowing PROGRESS to share its Ready-Made Garments (RMG) mapping study results with partners like LightCastle Partners. The initiative focuses on providing skill training to RMG workers and aims to deepen understanding of each other's roles. It also allows interaction with key stakeholders, such as buyers and factory owners, to address sustainability issues and waste recycling in the garment industry. This allows PROGRESS and its partners to effectively utilize each stakeholder's unique capabilities.

The project envisions contributing to the development of an inclusive, environmentally responsible, and competitive RMG sector in Bangladesh that can offer productive, well paid, secured, and decent job opportunities to workers, mostly women, and at the same time, adapt to the evolving needs of the global market in terms of technological advancement and environmental and social standards. By supporting RMG factories and implementing sustainable skills training system the project aligns its objectives with Swedens aim of creating greater opportunities for productive employment with decent working conditions for RMG workers. The project has two goals envisioned to be achieved during the four years of the project period: Project Goal 1: RMG workers (including 60% women) have better retention rates and increased income due to improved technical skills and productivity, Project Goal 2: Tier-2 and Tier-3 RMG factories have improved productivity and, environmental and social compliance and are offering decent employment to their workers. The goals will be achieved through a variety of activities, including: - the provision of technical support to tier-2 and tier-3 factories for technical skills development of RMG workers, - technical support to tier-2 and tier-3 factories to improve productivity, and environmental and social standards, as well as - the development of capacity of local technical consultancy providers for service delivery related to skills which enhance the compliance of RMG factories with environmental and social standards and increase these factories productivity. These objectives are assessed to correspond to the development results that Sida is expecting from this project.