Unilever Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have rolled out an initiative to work together on a number of Sustainable Development Goals in order to improve the livelihoods of a million apparel workers.

Kedar Lele, chief executive officer and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh, and Rubana Huq, president of the BGMEA, signed a memorandum of understanding at the Radisson hotel in Dhaka on Thursday to roll out the initiative named Aastha (trust), according to a press release.

Through the partnership, Unilever, the largest fast moving consumer goods company in Bangladesh, intends to bring its brands' purpose to life while doing genuine good for the society.

The garment sector, being the bulwark of economic growth for Bangladesh, has been making a crucial contribution of approximately 11 percent to the gross domestic product. With more than 4.4 million workers employed in the sector, about 60.8 percent of whom are women, the growth of garment industry has far reaching implications for the economy.

The partnership will be the first-ever sectoral approach to fast-tracking SDG progress in Bangladesh. It aims to positively impact more than 1 million workers and enhance their overall health and well-being.

Four SDGs and six national performance indicators have been identified as the key focus areas

of the partnership. The SDGs are: SDG 3 (Ensure good health and promote well-being for all at all ages); SDG 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all); SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns); and SDG 17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development).

In addition, Unilever Bangladesh will make its products available inside factory premises

at special prices exclusively for the workers.

Md Nojibur Rahman, principal secretary to the prime minister, Nitin Paranjpe, global chief operating officer of Unilever, Robert Chatterton Dickson, British high commissioner to Bangladesh, Harry Verweij, Netherlands ambassador to Bangladesh, and Sanjiv Mehta, president of Unilever South Asia, were present at the MoU signing ceremony.

Unilever Bangladesh also signed independent MoUs with

garment factories to improve livelihoods of their workers through different initiatives. The factories are Newage Apparels, Fakir Fashion, AR Jeans Producer, Reza Fashions, Fakhruddin Textile Mills, Laila Styles, Dekko Accessories, Ecofab Ltd, Dekko Readywears, Dekko Garments, Dekko Globus Fashion, Agami Fashion, Esquire Knit Composite, Meghna Knit Composite, Sublime Greentex, Executive Hi-Fashion, Renaissance Apparels, and Southern Garments Ltd.