It may sound surprising to note that Banglades sales of interlining, a piece of fabric used in smartening garments, run into $120 million a year. It means interlining, however small it may be, is important. The interlining is a material used as an extra lining between the ordinary lining and the fabric of a garment. The interlining is a material used as an extra lining between the ordinary lining and the fabric of a garment.

Globally; China is in a leading position in the interlining business. Although the business of interlining in Bangladesh is not new, the volume is not too high as a small number of entrepreneurs invested in this segment. In Bangladesh, it is used as an accessory, mainly in the collars of shirts; there are five to six interlining factories across the country at present.

Osman Interlinings Ltd started its business as the agent of a Chinese company in 1994. Later, the company began its own business in a rented factory at the DEPZ in 2001, and moved into its new factory this year. Speaking at his factory, he described his company’s journey to become a green building in the small interlining business.

Thanks to the LEED certification from the United States Green Building Council, the company can save 28 per cent of energy and 46 per cent of water. The factory harvests rainwater to use for production purposes to reduce groundwater consumption.

The company’s major customers include H&M, Aldi, Tema, Charles Vogele and Kappa. It is a concern of Concorde Garments Group headquartered in Dhaka. The group has garment factories in Mirpur and Ashulia in Dhaka. A total of 4,000 workers are employed in the group’s Lily Apparel and Concorde Garments, which mainly produce shirts and ladies’ tops.