Three ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh have secured USGBC LEED certifications, including one facility that has set a global record for environmental performance.

The factories, all in Gazipur district, were certified by the US Green Building Council. HAMS Garments Ltd led the group, securing a Platinum rating with 108 out of 110 points, the highest score ever awarded to a garment factory worldwide under the LEED system.

The other two facilities, Ecotrims Bangladesh Ltd – Unit 1 and NAFA APPARELS LTD – UNIT 1, received Gold certification with scores of 70 and 65 points, respectively.

Their inclusion brings the number of LEED-certified garment factories in Bangladesh to 273. The sector now has 115 Platinum-rated and 139 Gold-rated facilities and accounts for 69 of the world’s 100 highest-rated LEED-certified factories.

A press release, signed by Mohiuddin Rubel, managing director of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, said HAMS Garments Ltd’s record-setting performance “raises the benchmark for what is possible and encourages the industry to move beyond minimum compliance toward measurable excellence”.

The release added, “This achievement challenges outdated perceptions and reinforces a growing reality: sustainability in Bangladesh is no longer confined to pilot projects or niche factories.”

“It also demonstrates that climate-aligned industrial growth and export success do not have to be mutually exclusive,” it read.

It said the certifications underscore a broader sustainability shift in the sector, which it said will be critical to Bangladesh’s industrial credibility as it prepares for graduation from least-developed country status and changing global trade dynamics.