A Climate-Conscious Nod to Rural Empowerment 

How sustainable, ethical slow fashion goes against the grain in Bangladesh

Colourful threads from the rural riverine life in Bangladesh are firmly standing ground against climate change and pollution. © Friendship
by Iffat Ara Sharmeen, 
4 June, 2025 

While most industries are struggling to catch up with sustainability and circularity, slow fashion is quietly encapsulating these ideas and revolutionising the fight against pollution. 

The global textile industry generates a whopping revenue of $1.5 trillion. Its impact, however, has not been kind on the climate and the environment. It contributes to 9% of annual microplastic losses to oceans and yearly 215 trillion litres of water consumption, fueling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and waste; all in the name of fast fashion and relentless consumption. Slow fashion goes against the grain by creating environmentally responsible fashion that also holds potential for economic empowerment. 

Using natural dyes and eco-friendly production processes, Nodi Limited and its slow fashion brand Friendship Colours of the Chars lead sustainability by example. © Friendship

Fast Fashion in Bangladesh is a Climate Nightmare 

Bangladesh’s fast fashion scene reflects the country as an economic powerhouse, but it also holds dark realities, such as unmanageable landfills, plastic-polluted rivers, and poor air quality. Cheap, trendy clothing produced here comes with a hefty price tag on the environment, a narrative repressed by our economic development narrative.  

Bangladesh is a small country with a negligible global carbon footprint, but it is drowning in its own climate miseries with energy-intensive fast fashion production processes, such as producing synthetic, petroleum-based fibres like polyester, or smothering rivers with dyes and detergents. Wastewater taints our dying rivers and marine biodiversity. This begs the question, why not repurpose textiles as a climate game changer? 

Friendship Colours of the Chars follows the path of slow fashion by prioritising environmental and social needs over profit. © Friendship

Slow Fashion is Redemption 

Synthetic materials (such as threads and dyes) account for 35% of all microplastics entering the oceans. They are almost non-biodegradable and form toxins that harm marine life and ecosystems. Microplastics enter the human food chain as well, resulting in health issues that hurt human, animal, and plant health. 

By adopting eco-friendly dyes, circular usage of water (reduce, reuse, recycle), greenified factories, and energy-efficient tools, the consumer mentality can be shifted towards choosing ethical fashion over fast fashion, which harms the environment and health. Friendship Colours of the Chars is a slow fashion and lifestyle brand aiming to do exactly that, using traditional handloom and dying techniques as an ode to the environment, but also incorporating modern innovations.  

Colours of the Chars creates timeless, classy, and earthy designs that will remind the customer to buy less, but sensibly, traditional, and high-quality. © Friendship

Weaving a Unique Narrative 

Friendship Colours of the Chars is a social enterprise that empowers rural women artisans to create eco-friendly fashion and develop an alternative, regenerative rural economy in the Chars. This process is fulfilling for them because these women have been familiar with traditional sewing and weaving for generations.  

Women in the weaving centres of Kurigram and Gaibandha gain income, boosting their confidence, decision-making power, and control over family and finances. Each purchase supports their empowerment and promotes sustainability, using natural dyes, eco-friendly materials, low-waste hand techniques, and climate-conscious practices from start to finish. 

One of the natural dyes used by Friendship Colours of the Chars is indigo, a symbol of tradition, centuries of heritage, and affinity for quality textiles. © Friendship

Slow fashion promotes mindful consumption that will protect future generations from the environmental costs of fast fashion if we are serious about it. Despite challenges and demand for disposable trends, Friendship Colours of the Chars remains a pioneer of slow fashion, quietly redefining fashion through measures essential for our country’s climate and planet health. 

Training women weavers who already hone the natural handcraft of centuries-old weaving and dying techniques improves their skills. © Friendship
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