Assessing environmental and policy dimensions of LEED adoption in ready-made garments of Bangladesh: Drivers, barriers, and strategies for sustainable industrial green transformation

Abstract

The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is central to Bangladesh’s economy but remains a major source of environmental pressure. In response, a growing number of factories have adopted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification as a strategy toward sustainable industrial transformation. However, evidence on why some factories adopt LEED while others do not remains limited, particularly in developing-country contexts. This study examines the drivers, barriers, and enabling conditions shaping LEED adoption in Bangladesh’s RMG sector using a factory-level mixed-methods approach. Primary data were collected from 21 RMG factories, combining structured surveys of factory personnel (n = 423) with key informant interviews (KIIs) involving managers, sustainability officers, and industry stakeholders. Individual survey responses were aggregated to the factory level, and analysis was conducted using descriptive, comparative, and pattern-based methods. Exploratory factor analysis was employed strictly as a measurement tool, while KIIs were used to triangulate and contextualize quantitative patterns. The findings show that LEED adoption is shaped not by isolated factors but by configurations of external market pressure, organizational commitment, financial capacity, and policy engagement. Buyer requirements and management commitment consistently emerge as central enabling conditions, while high upfront costs, limited access to green finance, and technical capacity constraints remain key barriers, particularly for smaller and non-export-oriented factories. Policy incentives and green financing mechanisms function as selective enablers rather than universal drivers, benefiting factories with stronger organizational readiness and external linkages. Overall, the study advances a configurational understanding of sustainability transitions in labor-intensive manufacturing and provides sector-indicative insights for designing more inclusive industrial sustainability policies in developing economies.