Sustainable hrm practices in the rmg (ready-made garments) sector in Bangladesh

The Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector plays a pivotal role in the economic and social transformation of developing countries, particularly Bangladesh, where it contributes more than four-fifths of national export earnings and employs millions of workers, predominantly women. Despite its economic contributions, the sector faces longstanding challenges related to workplace safety, low wages, worker exploitation, gender disparities, limited employee voice, and insufficient compliance with global labor standards. These issues highlight the necessity of integrating Sustainable Human Resource Management (S-HRM) practices into the industry’s operational and strategic frameworks. S-HRM refers to a holistic set of HR policies and practices that seek to balance organizational performance with employee well-being, ethical labor standards, social equity, and environmental responsibility. It represents a shift from traditional cost-driven HRM toward long-term, people-centered, and socially responsible management. This study explores the current state of sustainable HRM practices in the RMG sector, with a particular focus on Bangladesh as a globally significant garment-producing country. Drawing on secondary data and qualitative thematic analysis, the research synthesizes findings from academic literature, industry reports, labor law documents, and global sustainability frameworks to establish a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and barriers to implementing S-HRM in the RMG industry. The study identifies key dimensions of sustainable HRM, including ethical recruitment, workplace safety and compliance, employee skill development, gender-sensitive HR policies, social dialogue, and environmental sustainability initiatives. Evidence suggests that while improvements have occurred particularly in building safety, fire preparedness, and wage digitalization significant gaps remain between compliance requirements and actual implementation, especially among small and medium-sized factories. The findings underscore that sustainable HRM practices yield substantial benefits for both employees and employers. These include improved productivity, reduced labor turnover, enhanced worker morale, better buyer–supplier relationships, and greater international competitiveness. However, persistent structural challenges such as managerial resistance, cost pressures from global buyers, limited awareness among workers, and insufficient enforcement mechanisms hinder the full realization of sustainable HRM in the RMG sector. The study recommends a multi-stakeholder approach that involves government authorities, factory owners, global brands, workers’ associations, and NGOs to jointly implement ethical, transparent, and future-oriented HR practices. Key recommendations include strengthening ethical hiring processes, institutionalizing comprehensive training, promoting gender equity, ensuring worker participation mechanisms, and aligning HR strategies with global sustainability standards such as the ILO Decent Work Agenda and ESG frameworks. Overall, this study contributes to the growing discourse on sustainable HRM in labor-intensive industries by presenting a structured understanding of its current status, challenges, and potential pathways in the RMG sector. It highlights that sustainable HRM is not merely a compliance requirement driven by global supply chains but a strategic imperative for improving human well-being, business resilience, and long-term industrial sustainability.