DHAKA, Nov 27 (IPS) – After Bangladesh’s interim authorities banned polyethene baggage, a brand new sense of hope has emerged for the Sonali bag—a jute-based, eco-friendly various developed in 2017 by Bangladeshi scientist Dr. Mubarak Ahmed Khan. Sonali bag, or the golden bag, is called after the golden fiber of jute from which it’s made.
Regardless of its guarantees, the mission has struggled to make vital progress as a result of a scarcity of funding. Nevertheless, following the announcement of the polythene bag ban, Mubarak is now dealing with stress to provide his Sonali bag to a market longing for sustainable options.
“Because the authorities banned polythene baggage, we now have confronted immense stress of orders that we can not meet—persons are coming in with requests at an awesome price,” Mubarak Ahmed Khan advised the IPS.
The most recent ban, which got here into impact on October 1 for superstores and conventional markets on November 1, isn’t the primary time Bangladesh has imposed a ban on polythene baggage.
In 2002, the nation grew to become the primary on this planet to outlaw them, as plastic waste was severely clogging metropolis drainage techniques and exacerbating its waterlogging disaster, with Dhaka alone consuming an estimated 410 million polybags every month. However the ban regularly misplaced effectiveness through the years, largely as a result of a scarcity of inexpensive and sensible options and insufficient enforcement from regulatory authorities.
Polyethene baggage, though cheaper, are dangerous to the surroundings as they’re non-biodegradable and their decomposition takes not less than 400 years. Sonali Bag instead, however, is thought to be a game-changer as a result of it’s biodegradable, able to decomposing in three months.
The ban comes because the UN Plastics Treaty Negotiations are underway in Busan, South Korea. The UN Atmosphere Programme estimates that all over the world, a million plastic bottles are bought each minute.
“In complete, half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use functions—used simply as soon as after which thrown away.”
With out an settlement, the OECD estimates that annual plastic manufacturing, use, and waste are predicted to extend by 70 % in 2040 in comparison with 2020. This on a planet already choking on plastic waste.
The talks have prior to now stalled over a disagreement over easy methods to handle waste, with some nations favouring introducing a cap on plastic manufacturing and others supporting circularity with use, reuse, and recycling as the primary targets.
The plastics treaty talks will run from 25 November 2024 to 1 December 2024.
Nevertheless, regardless of its environmental advantages and better calls for, in Bangladesh the Sonali Bag mission nonetheless stays throughout the pilot part.
A late begin for funding disaster
After Mubarak’s invention made headlines, the nation’s state-owned Bangladesh Jute Mills Company launched a pilot mission, establishing a jute-polymer unit on the Latif Bawani Jute Mill to provide Sonali Bag.
Mubarak stated they’ve been asking for presidency funds, because the mission has been working below the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. Nevertheless, the fundamental funding that stored the pilot mission operating expired final December, and the earlier authorities—which was toppled in August in a mass rebellion—had discontinued the mission.
“There had been assurances that we would obtain Tk100 crore (about USD 8 million) in funding from the federal government by July. However then got here political unrest and a change in authorities,” Mubarak stated.
After the brand new authorities took cost, they renewed the pledges to fund the Sonali Bag mission.
“The interim authorities advised us that we’ll get the cash in January. If that occurs, we can produce 5 tons of luggage per day,” Mubarak stated. “5 tons might not be so much, however it can give us the possibility to exhibit our work to personal buyers, boosting their confidence to have interaction with us.”
In keeping with Mubarak, one kilogram of Sonali baggage quantities to round 100 items of small baggage. Primarily based on this estimate, 5 tons might produce round 15 million baggage per 30 days.
Bangladesh’s present adviser to the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, Md. Sakhawat Hossain, advised IPS that they’re critically contemplating funding the Sonali Bag mission this January, though he acknowledged that his ministry is at present dealing with a funding disaster.
“The work will start in full scale after the fund is supplied,” Sakhawat Hossain stated. When requested if Mubarak would obtain the funds by January, he replied, “We hope so.”
A ban with out ample options at hand
Mubarak Ahmed Khan regards the federal government’s choice to ban polythene baggage as a “praiseworthy” initiative. Nevertheless, he emphasised that sustainable and inexpensive options to the polythene baggage ought to come quickly.
Mubarak isn’t alone in his issues. Sharif Jamil, founding father of Waterkeepers Bangladesh, a company devoted to defending water our bodies, shares skepticism concerning the effectiveness of the ban this time, citing the shortage of sustainable options out there.
“The announcement of this ban is a crucial and well timed step. Nevertheless, it should even be famous that our earlier ban was not enforced. With out addressing the underlying points that led to nonenforcement of the earlier ban, the brand new polythene ban won’t resolve the prevailing issues. It’s essential to deal with the challenges that allowed polythene to stay out there,” Sharif Jamil advised IPS.
“If you happen to don’t present folks with an alternate and easily take away polythene from the markets, the ban gained’t be efficient,” he added.
Sharif famous that the prevailing options out there aren’t inexpensive, with some promoting various jute baggage at Tk25 in supermarkets, whereas polythene baggage are sometimes supplied at a value that’s basically free.
“Options have to be extra inexpensive and accessible to the general public,” he stated.
Mubarak said that his Sonali bag at present prices Tk10 per piece, however he anticipates reducing the value with elevated manufacturing and demand.
The pursuit of competitors in sustainable options
Sharif Jamil, nonetheless, desires competitors within the sustainable options market.
“It isn’t solely about incentivizing Dr. Mubarak’s mission,” Sharif stated.
This know-how needs to be incentivized and acknowledged, however the authorities additionally has to make sure two different issues, he stated.
“If the federal government could make it accessible to folks at a cheaper price, it can attain them. Secondly, if the choice stays solely with Mubarak, it can create a monopoly once more,” he stated.
It should bear competitors, he advisable. Bangladesh has a contest fee to make sure that different current sustainable inexperienced options in the marketplace are additionally incentivized and acknowledged.
“Moreover facilitating and upgrading Mubarak’s mission, the federal government ought to guarantee honest competitors so that individuals can entry it at a cheaper price,” he added.
For the sake of surroundings
Adviser Shakhawat Hossain stated that they’re optimistic concerning the success of Sonali Bag.
“Already the ambassadors of assorted nations are assembly me about this. Some shopping for homes too have been created for this. It appears it is going to be a sustainable growth,” he stated.
Mubarak stated that in the event that they get the funding quickly, Sonali Bag may have a market not solely in Bangladesh however all around the world.
He stated the personal buyers ought to come ahead not simply because the federal government has banned polythene baggage, however out of an ethical obligation to handle the damaging influence these baggage have on the surroundings.
“With this, I imagine we are able to create a polythene-free surroundings,” Mubarak stated, acknowledging, “It isn’t straightforward to introduce this to the market solely as a result of it’s a new product. We’re up towards an USD 3.5 trillion single-use plastic market.”
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