Sustainable Leather Tanning Industry in Bangladesh: Integrating Lean and Institutional Logics into OHS Management (SusLeather)

Project summary

The leather industry is the second-largest export sector of Bangladesh. As for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) performance, the leather tanning industry is one of the most hazardous trades in many South Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. The leather tanning industry uses dangerous chemicals to convert the raw hides and skins into finished leather which can cause serious pollution to surrounding areas of leather processing plants (tanneries) and have debilitating health effects on employees and community inhabitants if proper protective measures are not installed and practiced. Several studies revealed that Bangladeshi tanneries´ workers suffer from serious health problems due to poor OHS practices. Therefore, the overarching objective of the SusLeather project is to create new theoretical and empirical knowledge on improvement and sustainment of OHS through the adoption of the integrative institutional logic of Lean in the tannery industry in Bangladesh. The project is operated jointly by University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and Ahsanullah Science and Technology University’s (AUST, Bangladesh) with close cooperation of Bangladeshi tanneries and Bangladesh Tannery Association (TAB). The objective of the SusLeather project is to develop research capacity in sustaining OHS for AUST’s researchers and research-based teaching capabilities, while SDU’s researchers will benefit by acquiring new knowledge on sustaining OHS in the tannery industry in a developing country context. It is also expected that adoption of new practices will contribute to develop awareness and change in OHS practices and behaviors of tannery managers, workers, TAB and public authorities for sustaining OHS improvements associated with Lean interventions. The project outcomes will be widely disseminated to the relevant stakeholders (e.g., researchers, practitioners, tannery associations, NGOs, buyers and policy makers) by publishing scientific peer reviewed articles, conference papers, articles in newspapers, national and international conferences and a policy brief.