Control Union Sustainability Conference 2025

Shape the Future of Sustainability

Shaping a Sustainable Future, Together

Join industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers at the Control Union Sustainability Conference 2025 this November in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as we explore solutions to one of the most pressing challenges of our time—building a transparent, ethical, and sustainable supply chain.

This landmark event will bring together key voices from industry, government, NGOs, academia, and stakeholders to share knowledge, build partnerships, and drive action.

Limited Seats Available

Bangladesh’s First-Ever Carbon-Neutral Conference

In a time when caring for our planet matters more than ever, we’re stepping up — not just to talk about change, but to lead it. At the Control Union Sustainability Conference 2025, we will measure, reduce, and fully offset our carbon footprint — ensured that our entire conference leaves zero net emissions. Please click the below link and fill out the following information to help us calculate the carbon footprint of your participation. This is part of our commitment to carbon neutrality for the conference.

Join us in tracking your carbon footprint

Event Overview

Conference Details

Date: 26th November, Wednesday
Venue: Sheraton, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Time: 10.00 am – 06.00 pm
Registration Fee: BDT 3,500.00 per attendee

Important Reminders:

The registration deadline is 25th October 2025, subject to seat availability.
Registration is subject to review and approval
Payment details will be shared after approval
Registration will not be considered confirmed until payment is received

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What to Expect

At the Control Union Sustainability Conference 2025, you can look forward to inspiring keynotes from global sustainability leaders, thought-provoking panel discussions and interactive sessions that address today’s most pressing supply chain challenges, and unique opportunities to network with peers, partners, and thought leaders. The event will also feature a showcase of cutting-edge innovations driving sustainable practices worldwide.

Business and entrepreneurship symposium. Speaker giving a talk at business meeting. Audience in the conference hall. Rear view of unrecognized participant in audience.

Who Should Join?

The conference will welcome leaders and professionals from the textile, agriculture, food, forestry, and recycling industries, along with global and regional brand representatives who are shaping the future of responsible sourcing. Joining them will be business executives and sustainability experts, policymakers and regulators, NGOs and advocacy groups, as well as academic researchers and students.

Together, this inspiring mix of participants will create space for dialogue, collaboration, and the development of real-world solutions.

Agenda

Conference agenda coming soon

Speakers

Koos Dijkstra currently serves as Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Trade and Development at the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Bangladesh. Until August 2025, he was Deputy Head of the Sustainable Production and Trade Division, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. Koos Dijkstra has served over 27 years in the Ministry, in both advisory and management positions in various policy areas, ranging from Development to Trade, Energy, Security, European Integration and Finance. He served in Embassies of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Germany and Ethiopia, and he was seconded to the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. Before joining the Ministry he worked for several NGO’s in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Ecuador. Koos Dijkstra holds a MSc in business economics. He is married and has two children.

Dirk Teichert, originally from Denmark, began his career in sales and marketing before joining Control Union in 1997 as a surveyor—a role that marked his entry into the Testing, Inspection, and Certification industry. Over the years, he has held various management positions and was appointed Regional Manager for Asia Pacific (APAC) in 2009, where his strategic leadership and focus on operational excellence have driven significant growth across the region.

Since 2020, Dirk has been part of the group management team, continuing to oversee APAC operations while also managing global activities under the inspections team. His career reflects a strong commitment to quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the organization.

Dr. Binay Kumar Choudhury is the Regional Technical Lead – APAC at Control Union and Chairman of the Centre of Excellence – Textile Team. With a Ph.D. in Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry focused on pesticide residue analysis, he began his career in 2001 as Technical Manager and Head of the Regional Centre for Food Research and Analytical Centre in Bangalore. His career spans decades of research, technical management, and scientific leadership in sustainable agriculture and textile certification.

He has received multiple national and international research fellowships and advises various organizations in sustainability and certification. With extensive field experience, Dr. Choudhury has audited over 500 farms and 1,000 textile projects globally, with a particular emphasis on organic cotton and sustainable production systems.

Working with Control Union for over 18 years, Fakhrul has more than 23 years of experience in the field of textile merchandising, social compliance, auditing and certification. He has industry knowledge and practical expertise. Over the years, he has played a key role not just in Bangladesh but also globally. He is an active member of the Control Union Global Expert Team. Currently, he leads the Development Team within that group, driving progress in areas such as new standard development.

Yash Bari is the Head of Certifications – India and Technical Manager – Centre of Excellence (Asia), with over 15 years of experience in the textile and sustainability certification sector. He leads certification operations across India and provides technical oversight for sustainable textile standards throughout Asia.

Yash holds extensive expertise in standards such as GOTS, Textile Exchange, and other global sustainability frameworks. His responsibilities include managing accreditations across the region, ensuring technical integrity, and supporting brands and supply chain partners in implementing credible and traceable certification systems. He is also actively involved in technical training, auditor development, and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen sustainable practices across the textile value chain.

Rajesh Dubey, Ph.D. is a sustainability and social development specialist with over 26 years of experience across Asia. He has worked with leading multilateral agencies such as DFID, USAID, and IFC, and collaborated with global corporations including Unilever, Nestlé, and Tata Global Beverages. His expertise spans voluntary sustainability standards like Rainforest Alliance, Bonsucro, 4C, and the Code of Responsible Extraction (CORE), which he helped develop and implement in industrial supply chains.

Currently, Rajesh serves as the Regional Representative for Asia at regenagri, UK, where he promotes regenerative agriculture across crops such as tea, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, soy, palm oil, and rubber in countries including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. He also contributes to national policy as a member of the Coffee Board of India’s Core Technical Committee.