Released alongside a new campaign urging immediate action, the report, titled ‘Fashion’s Fair Share: Bangladesh Buyers’ Climate Opportunity’ puts pressure on industry leaders including H&M Group, Inditex, Primark and Walmart to fund energy reforms in one of the world’s key clothing manufacturing hubs.
SRG attributes 26.3% of Bangladesh’s apparel export output by weight to just 15 companies, highlighting these brands’ disproportionate sway over the country’s economic and environmental trajectory.
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The report argues that combined, sustained backing of renewable energy projects from these 15 brands could help Bangladesh avoid a cumulative 8.59 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions by 2040.
The group’s findings reflect deepening scrutiny of fashion’s supply chain emissions, which continue to surge despite public climate commitments.
SRG senior corporate climate campaigner Rachel Kitchin said: “Just 15 brands, acting together, could change the trajectory of Bangladesh’s energy transition. While the sector and the country deals with massive energy shortages and price fluctuations putting workers in even more precarious situations, Bangladesh’s biggest buyers must be part of the solution.
“That’s why we’re calling on these brands to act now. Together, they can help build energy resilience, reduce emissions, and support the workers on the front lines of the climate and energy crises. Demanding cleaner production while leaving suppliers and workers to foot the bill simply won’t cut it.”
The call for action comes amid a mounting energy crisis in Bangladesh. Factories are facing layoffs and closures triggered by unreliable electricity, gas shortages, and dependency on imported fossil fuels.
Less than 5% of Bangladesh’s electricity grid currently runs on renewable energy, intensifying risks for manufacturers and their global clients.
SRG’s study, based on customs and sourcing data, underscores the disconnect between the leverage major buyers possess and the gaps in their climate and worker-support policies.
Only H&M Group and Inditex have committed to 100% renewables for their supply chains. Only a minority of companies publicly disclose supplier financing initiatives, and none report direct grant-based support or debt-free financing for energy upgrades.
Additionally, only Next has published a supplier code acknowledging the risks of heat stress for workers.
The analysis also points to an urgent need for brands to engage Bangladeshi policymakers and invest in grid-scale infrastructure, a recommendation only three companies, H&M Group, Bestseller, and Inditex, have acted on publicly.
SRG’s new Clean Energy Investment Pact campaign, launched alongside the report, calls for brands to commit to grant funding, contract terms that absorb transition costs, direct policy engagement, and expanded worker protection measures.
The group argues that these interventions are central to stabilising both Bangladesh’s industry and workforce as supply chain emissions continue to climb.
Recent indicators from the Apparel Impact Institute, cited by Bloomberg, confirm rising emissions sector-wide, an estimated one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, with year-on-year increases above 6%.
SRG identifies significant shortfalls in current industry action, particularly among companies such as Kontoor Brands, Walmart, New Yorker, Gildan Activewear, LPP, and Pepco.
H&M Group was ranked as the most aligned with transition and financing principles, but researchers argued that action across all 15 buyer brands remains insufficient.
“February’s Fashion Roadmap set out what a fair transition requires, and the Clean Fashion Investment Pact represents the scale of the opportunity if brands act. Companies must commit real funding and put workers’ health and the planet at the centre of their production plans. It’s time for brands to seize this moment, cease fashion’s fossil fuel dependence, and forge a clean path ahead,” Kitchin added.
Bangladesh’s garment exports play a vital role in the global fashion trade but remain exposed to fluctuating fossil fuel markets and climate-related hazards.
Beyond economic concerns, a 2021 Harvard University study cited in the report links air pollution from fossil fuels to one in five premature deaths globally, raising the stakes for worker health.
