CLIMATE GOVERNANCE IN THE READYMADE GARMENTS AND TEXTILE SECTOR OF BANGLADESH: INSIGHTS FROM MIDDLE MANAGEMENT

Ready-Made Garments (RMG) and textile sector in Bangladesh contributing approximately 83% of the country's total export earnings and employing over four million workers, is increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Adverse impacts such as rising temperatures, heatwaves, water scarcity, and flooding are increasingly disrupting production, reducing worker productivity, and destabilizing supply chains. While several studies have explored sectoral vulnerabilities, the perceptions of factory-level middle management, those responsible for implementing compliance, CSR, and sustainability mandates remain largely overlooked. This study addresses that gap through a structured survey of 165 middle management professionals across the RMG sector in Bangladesh. The questionnaire comprised 15 Likert-scale items across three themes: perceived climate impacts, adaptation strategies, and mitigation efforts. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed strong concern over operational disruptions (mean = 4.11) and heat-related risks (mean = 4.07), while preparedness measures such as emergency response were more developed than longer-term resilience strategies (mean = 3.68–3.84). Mitigation efforts, especially those influenced by buyer pressure, were widely acknowledged (mean = 4.46), though technical, financial, and institutional barriers hinder broader implementation. The study underscores the pivotal role of middle management in climate response and calls for targeted capacity building, stronger institutional frameworks, and inclusive policy approaches. By focusing on factory-level insights, this research contributes operationally grounded evidence to the broader discourse on industrial climate resilience in developing economies.