Two additional readymade garment factories in Bangladesh have received the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, as reported by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

This brings the total number of LEED-certified factories in the country to 237, which includes 95 platinum-rated, 128 gold-rated, 10 silver-rated, and four certified factories.

In February, Columbia Apparels Limited, a factory based in Gazipur, obtained a gold certificate from the USGBC under LEED O+M: Existing Building v4.1 rating system with a score of 77.

Another Gazipur-based factory, Banga Fashion Limited, obtained a platinum certificate from the USGBC with a score of 87 under the system.

Sixty-three of the world’s top 100 LEED factories are in Bangladesh, including 9 of the top 10 and 18 of the top 20.

This success is expected to attract new investment and partnerships, reinforcing Bangladesh’s position as a sustainable manufacturing hub.

A total of 550 factories were awaiting the USGBC’s LEED certification, according to industry insiders.

The factories of Bangladesh have been obtaining the LEED certificate since 2011.

The USGBC honours factories based on several criteria: transformation performance, energy, water and waste management. The best performers are rated platinum, followed by gold and silver.

According to industry insiders, these criteria help green factories significantly reduce operational costs over time, even though they may initially cost more to set up.

These factories also provide a safe working environment for employees.

Former BGMEA director Mohiuddin Rubel said that the steady growth of LEED-certified factories reflected their proactive approach to sustainability and responsible manufacturing.