We Need People Who Act” Denim manufacturer Mostafiz

“WE NEED PEOPLE WHO ACT”

He is Bangladesh’s answer to Gerd and Karl-Heinz Müller alike: Mostafiz Uddin is the owner of Denim Expert Ltd, a company that produces jeans. However, he is also passionately committed to the reputation and development of his homeland. To this end, he not only launched a denim trade show, but also organised a sustainability summit. He travels all over the world to talk about Bangladesh. style in progress sat down with a man who knows that change is only possible when initiative is taken. Interview: Martina Müllner-Seybold. Photo: Mostafiz Uddin

You are a tireless advocate of sustainability and the image of your home country as a production location. What drives you?

Change is brought about by one individual standing up and acting. There weren’t many Gandhis; there was only one Gandhi. We need people who act. I’m tired of the whole discussion. The producers blame the buyers. The buyers blame the consumers for wanting low prices. Passing blame from one to another doesn’t get us anywhere - only taking action helps.

Bangladesh has taken action. Five years after Rana Plaza, it is - in the words of Accord* CEO Rob Wyass - the safest developing country in which one can produce. Hats off! That was very fast. It took a mere 5 years.

The key is a desire for change. If you tell a Bangladeshi that your business depends on him delivering on time, he will do his utmost to deliver on schedule. The people of Bangladesh are incredibly committed and engaging.

You have made your factory, in which you employ 2,000 people, completely sustainable. Is sustainability a topic that enjoys the support of the local people?

First and foremost, a factory worker is interested in having a good job, being paid fairly, and receiving his wages. He doesn’t really care about whether his wages are financed by cheap jeans or high-quality, sustainable products. I don’t see this as the factory worker’s responsibility. Those who are responsible are tasked with making sure that he doesn’t need to produce cheap jeans anymore.

Theoretically, this wouldn’t be as complicated as everyone suggests it is. Trend researcher Lee Edelkoort only recently repeated her demand for an EU ban on low-cost jeans. A punitive tariff on fabrics made under exploitative circumstances seems just as feasible to the layman as a punitive tariff on US jeans.

Exactly! As long as jeans for 15 Euros are on offer, someone needs to produce them. Why not say that jeans for less than 29 Euros are banned in the EU?

You’re probably making a few more enemies in your homeland right now…

Yes, that’s the side effect of commitment. Was it beneficial to my company that I try to improve the image of Bangladesh at congresses, trade fairs, and media panels all around the globe? No, on the contrary. I don’t do what I do with my corporate interests in mind. If you want to do business, do business. If you want to be charitable, be charitable. You can’t do both at the same time.

Does this mean that sustainability will only work once it’s no longer an act of mercy, but a business model?

That’s certainly true in the long term. Right now, one still needs to be able to forego and share. While wages in Bangladesh have risen by 263 percent, EU sourcing prices have fallen by 7.33 percent. Thus, one can discard the fairy tale that consumers or buyers are paying for better working conditions and sustainability. What should one do? Should I squeeze my yarn suppliers for a better price? Or exploit my people? No. As an entrepreneur, I simply need to live with the reduced margin. At least if I’m serious about sustainability…

Who are you pinning your hopes on?

The next generation… We won’t be able to change things anymore. We are too eaten up by greed and avarice. However, I have met young people who give me so much hope at conferences. Believe me, sustainability is no longer debatable for this generation!

And until then…?

I will continue to fight and try to raise awareness. I have talked to more than 300 journalists from all around the world. None of them has ever been to Bangladesh. The image of our country is outdated. The factories you see on archive images, which are still used in European and American newspapers, don’t even exist anymore. The new, clean, and safe factories aren’t in line with the western world’s image of Bangladesh. That’s why I launched the Denim Fair and the Sustainability Summit in Bangladesh. I want new pictures and voices from my country to be seen and heard.

*Accord is the initiative that was launched to ensure building and fire safety following the Rana Plaza disaster.