DHAKA, Nov 27 (IPS) – After Bangladesh’s interim authorities banned polyethene luggage, 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 challenge has struggled to make vital progress attributable to a scarcity of funding. Nonetheless, following the announcement of the polythene bag ban, Mubarak is now dealing with stress to produce his Sonali bag to a market looking forward to sustainable options.
“Because the authorities banned polythene luggage, we’ve got confronted immense stress of orders that we can not meet—persons are coming in with requests at an amazing price,” Mubarak Ahmed Khan informed the IPS.
The newest 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 luggage.
In 2002, the nation grew to become the primary on this planet to outlaw them, as plastic waste was severely clogging metropolis drainage methods and exacerbating its waterlogging disaster, with Dhaka alone consuming an estimated 410 million polybags every month. However the ban regularly misplaced effectiveness over time, largely attributable to a scarcity of reasonably priced and sensible options and insufficient enforcement from regulatory authorities.
Polyethene luggage, though cheaper, are dangerous to the surroundings as they’re non-biodegradable and their decomposition takes at the very least 400 years. Sonali Bag in its place, then again, 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 Setting 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 p.c in 2040 in comparison with 2020. This on a planet already choking on plastic waste.
The talks have up to now stalled over a disagreement over tips on how to handle waste, with some international locations favouring introducing a cap on plastic manufacturing and others supporting circularity with use, reuse, and recycling as the primary aims.
The plastics treaty talks will run from 25 November 2024 to 1 December 2024.
Nonetheless, regardless of its environmental advantages and better calls for, in Bangladesh the Sonali Bag challenge 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 challenge, organising a jute-polymer unit on the Latif Bawani Jute Mill to supply Sonali Bag.
Mubarak stated they’ve been asking for presidency funds, because the challenge has been working below the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. Nonetheless, the essential funding that saved the pilot challenge operating expired final December, and the earlier authorities—which was toppled in August in a mass rebellion—had discontinued the challenge.
“There had been assurances that we’d 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 challenge.
“The interim authorities informed us that we’ll get the cash in January. If that occurs, we can produce 5 tons of baggage per day,” Mubarak stated. “5 tons will not be rather a lot, however it should give us the prospect to display our work to personal buyers, boosting their confidence to have interaction with us.”
In accordance with Mubarak, one kilogram of Sonali luggage quantities to round 100 items of small luggage. Primarily based on this estimate, 5 tons may produce round 15 million luggage per 30 days.
Bangladesh’s present adviser to the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, Md. Sakhawat Hossain, informed IPS that they’re severely contemplating funding the Sonali Bag challenge 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 offered,” Sakhawat Hossain stated. When requested if Mubarak would obtain the funds by January, he replied, “We hope so.”
A ban with out enough options at hand
Mubarak Ahmed Khan regards the federal government’s choice to ban polythene luggage as a “praiseworthy” initiative. Nonetheless, he emphasised that sustainable and reasonably priced options to the polythene luggage ought to come quickly.
Mubarak isn’t alone in his considerations. Sharif Jamil, founding father of Waterkeepers Bangladesh, a corporation devoted to defending water our bodies, shares skepticism in regards to 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. Nonetheless, 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 present issues. It’s essential to sort out the challenges that allowed polythene to stay out there,” Sharif Jamil informed IPS.
“For those who don’t present individuals with another and easily take away polythene from the markets, the ban gained’t be efficient,” he added.
Sharif famous that the present options out there should not reasonably priced, with some promoting various jute luggage at Tk25 in supermarkets, whereas polythene luggage are sometimes provided at a worth that’s basically free.
“Alternate options must be extra reasonably priced and accessible to the general public,” he stated.
Mubarak acknowledged that his Sonali bag at present prices Tk10 per piece, however he anticipates decreasing the worth with elevated manufacturing and demand.
The pursuit of competitors in sustainable options
Sharif Jamil, nevertheless, desires competitors within the sustainable options market.
“It isn’t solely about incentivizing Dr. Mubarak’s challenge,” Sharif stated.
This expertise 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 individuals at a cheaper price, it should attain them. Secondly, if the choice stays solely with Mubarak, it should 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.
“Apart from facilitating and upgrading Mubarak’s challenge, 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 in regards to the success of Sonali Bag.
“Already the ambassadors of varied international locations are assembly me about this. Some shopping for homes too have been created for this. It appears will probably 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 non-public buyers ought to come ahead not simply because the federal government has banned polythene luggage, however out of an ethical obligation to deal with the destructive impression these luggage have on the surroundings.
“With this, I consider 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 in opposition to an USD 3.5 trillion single-use plastic market.”
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