Global Journal of Human Social Science, E: Economics, Volume 22 Issue 7

Social Concerns: (See appendices 10 and 11) i) According to the mid-level managers, lack of education and awareness along with ignorance are some of the primary reasons for workers’ health conditions in the factories. Workers are reluctant to use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and get wounded or sick from the machines they keep working with. Again, some factories do no provide PPEs to the workers despite engaging them in risky jobs and often do not provide frequent training or monitoring in the working environment. ii) Payments are often comparatively lower compared to the requirement of a standard lifestyle, which arises a conflict between the workers and managers. As a result, productions are obstructed causing loss to the factory(s). iii) Male and female are not considered in the managerial positions equally according to most of the managers. According to the managers, the females might not be able to face a conflicting situation between the authority and a few hundred workers and will possibly get in shock. As a result, very few women are seen in managerial posts. iv) The ethical issues of workers are not too strong despite proper training and motivation. Due to excessive pressures of work, they tend to spend more time than regular during breaks and the works remain incomplete which forces other workers to stay as well till the work gets finished. v) Ignorance of top-level management over ensuring a healthy working environment, e.g., enough space for every worker, PPEs for workers according to requirements, sufficient leisure hours and proper salaries, etc., is another barrier of the social concern. Environmental Concern: (See appendices 12 and 13) i) Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) is not set and/or not maintained properly by all factories due to the huge expenses it will incur. The profits cannot cover its expenses properly after the payment of the salaries. Due to a lack of working knowledge and funds, ETPs are not frequently used in our country to prevent or lessen water pollution along with the absence of waste recycling initiatives. ii) A lot of factories use burners to burn their wastes, resulting in frequent air pollution around the factory premises. iii) Due to the disposal of industrial wastes around the factory premises, the water and soil around the factories get polluted frequently, which results in the death of aquatic animals and lessening soil fertility respectively. iv) Renewable energy sources are not yet used in maximum factories of Bangladesh, rather they prefer to use gas as their fuel. Renewable energy is too costly to set up in this region and cannot be used properly for a bulk amount of production according to the managers. Economic Concerns: (See appendices 14 and 15) i) In almost all factories of Bangladesh, top-level management personnel is hired from India and Sri Lanka due to their vast previous experience in the management of textile factories in their countries. ii) However, sometimes it becomes a burden for the factories to match with their higher salaries when the factories keep failing to match with the profits. iii) Due to inflation in the international market(s), raw materials like cotton’ prices have increased, which has brought about a decrease in cost-effectiveness. iv) Buyers seem disinterested in paying for the orders more than before, despite the price increase of supplies in the international market and more conditions being attached regarding compliance issues with regular auditing, which requires a huge cost to maintain. As a result, overall profitability has decreased over the years in the textile industry. v) Due to a lack of proper negotiations over the prices between the buyers and the factory managers, buyers are finding alternatives, as a result of which, sales growth has been decreasing on an overall basis. Success Factors Social Factors i) Free treatments are being provided in maximum textile factories of Bangladesh, where some of them also have a permanent clinic providing free medicines for the sick, treatment to the wounded except for serious injuries, and sanitary napkins for the female workers inside the factory premises. As a result, the workers are not deprived of healthcare in the factory(s). ii) Fire extinguishers are reserved on every floor of the factory(s) where the supervisors and workers are trained to escape the premises through the emergency exits during fire or explosion. In some factories, fire extinguisher balls are kept nearby to tackle the emergency (s) immediately during fire accidents. iii) Females are getting interested in the textile sector since students in textile universities are increasing gradually, and within a few years, females will be seen in the managerial positions of textile companies more often. iv) Employees are trained over the legal and ethical issues which ensure both workers and authorities a fair system for hiring and firing employees over any incident. v) Female workers are given paid maternity leaves and in some factories, daycare facilities are existent to keep the female worker's tension free and more © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VII Version I 85 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 E Exploration of Barriers and Success Factors of Sustainability of the Bangladeshi Textile Industry at Various Stakeholders’ Level from Social, Environmental and Economical Concern