Youngone Corporation was incorporated in Seoul, Korea in 1974 and has been involved in Bangladesh in apparel and textile manufacturing and export for nearly 43 years. The multilateral apparel and textile conglomerate known for its pioneering work in outdoor clothing and accessories has a long history of spreading a philosophy of living the outdoor life while caring for nature, across continents. In 1980, Youngone initiated operations in Bangladesh with a workforce of 250 and has since grown to become one of the country's largest manufacturers and exporters of apparel products, textiles, and fiber products for high-value export.
Today, Youngone has 42 state-of-the-art green factories in operation and plans are afoot to double it soon. The company’s employment strength in Bangladesh currently stands at about 70,000, 70% of whom are female. Youngone operation worldwide now has industrial set-up in Korea, China, Vietnam, India, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia and El Salvador. The Group continues to grow in Bangladesh and strives to contribute to the economic growth of the country. Youngone’s jackets, shoes, and related garment items feature pioneering synthetic fabrics, as well as patented insulation features, that are breathable, quick-drying, stretchable, and hypoallergenic.
The incorporation of the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in May 1996 was perhaps the most significant development in Youngone’s journey of growth in Bangladesh. KEPZ, which houses a mix of factories, protected green areas and wetlands has been crucial for offering inward investment opportunities for overseas corporations - but it has also served as the foundation for Youngone’s expansion and subsequent vertical growth.
52% of the land. It has been a challenging task to transform, what was once barren land, into an eco-friendly Industrial zone in accordance with the requirements of the Environment Clearance Certificate (ECC), with 52% of the land developed as green space with water bodies and open areas. The remaining 48% is earmarked for industry, infrastructure, utilities, and other logistic activities.
The extent of the area that encompasses KEPZ, reflects Youngone’s responsibility to ensure that the land is managed in a responsible and sustainable manner. Significant work is also being undertaken to protect, maintain and increase the biodiversity present on the KEPZ site, most notably through tree-planting initiatives, which Youngone has been spearheading since 1999. To date, over 2,500,000 trees have been planted across the zone and expansion work is continuing where possible. The Department of Botany at the nearby Chattogram University carried out a survey in 2019, which confirmed that over 400 different species of plants are now forming the rich ecosystem at KEPZ.
Water is also an important aspect of Youngone’s sustainability work here, in particular-rainwater harvesting. As part of its "Blue & Green" initiatives, the company has created water bodies throughout KEPZ to ensure a continuous supply of fresh water as needed. To date, 25 water bodies have been created, with a combined capacity of 500 million gallons of rainwater per year. In the coming years, it will be doubled to 1 billion gallons. This project is the largest artificial rainwater harvesting system of its kind in Bangladesh, and given the country’s challenges in dealing with regular and extreme weather conditions, projects like these go a long way toward improving the region’s sustainability. Improved environmental conditions of the area, in particular flora and fauna, has become the roosting ground for waterfowls and other migratory birds. Every year, the waterbody and wetland attract a large number of migratory birds. Already around 137 species of birds have settled in the area.
Among the numerous green initiatives undertaken in the zone is the 40 MW rooftop solar power generation project
— the largest in the country and is being constructed in two phases. While its first phase has been completed and is already in operation, its second phase of 20MW is underway and is expected to be completed within the next 4 months. This massive operation is of course vital in ensuring the sustainability of industrial activity as KEPZ contin- ues to expand — but it is also designed to feed surplus energy into Bangladesh’s national grid, under a net metering system, giving a welcome boost to an often-struggling power supply nationwide.
In recent years, 45 factory sites have been rapidly developed, with the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs for the regional economy- directly and indirectly. As the company pushes forward with more innovative fabric manufacturing processes, it has made significant investments in five highly sophisticated man-made fiber textile factories. So far, three factories totaling over 1.2 million sft have been completed. Construction on two more will begin soon, providing a total production space of over 2 million sft. These operational sites include the state-of-the-art knitting, weaving, dyeing, yarn production and finishing facilities. On completion, it will become a Textile Hub in Bangladesh, to produce and supply much-needed high-quality intermediary products of man-made fiber, to garment industries for export.
Since its inception, KEPZ has had a plan to establish a state-of-the-art hi-tech park. Youngone is setting up its first IT-related infrastructure and facilities for its sister concern, Tekvision (BD) Limited, in the park. This company will produce and develop all kinds of software, industrial digitalization, data entry and outsourcing with an estimated investment worth US$200m. This Hi-Tech Park will provide essential support in the form of education, technical training and human resource development. Its IT facility is expected to play a crucial role, not just in contributing to the digital growth of Bangladesh but also for the expansion of KEPZ to boost production capability, as well as attract and accommodate new industries.
While the innovative work is being done to ensure KEPZ's sustainable growth, Youngone has taken significant steps to ensure that Bangladesh’s rich heritage is recognized and restored where possible — reflecting on the idea that, without respecting one's past, it is impossible to move forward with a clear identity and purpose. This philoso- phy is manifested in the restoration work done at Sonargaon which is the ancient capital of Bengal and is an hour’s drive from Dhaka.
In 2012, the Bangladesh Government and Youngone partnered in a unique and major project to restore, "Baro Sardar Bari", a 500-year-old heritage site at Sonargaon. The first of its kind, the restoration represents a significant ambition by Youngone, to inject some pride back into the country’s history, and give the people something about their past that they can truly appreciate. Five years later, in 2017, the project site has been inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister and was finally opened to the public.
Youngone is pledged in its commitment to do everything possible to contribute to the socio-economic upliftment of the country and thereby help transform into Smart Bangladesh.
