Stakeholder alliances are essential to address the sustainable development agenda on a broader scale. Bangladesh Sustainability Alliance mobilises cross-value chain collaboration, bringing together brand owners, financial institutions, recyclers, and the development sector to address the sustainable development agenda on a broader scale.
As a first-of-its-kind initiative, the BSA aims to address the sustainable development agenda on a broader scale. More immediately, the Alliance will work on implementing programmes, initiatives, and actions that will offer practical solutions to reducing plastics pollution and promoting circularity.
The launch event took place at the Intercontinental, Dhaka on November 6.
The founding members of the BSA Alliance have been visionary and pioneering in getting together as an Alliance. They are Brac, Pran-RFL, Standard Chartered Bangladesh, Unilever Bangladesh Limited, Bangladesh Petrochemical Company Limited, Marico Bangladesh Limited, Intercontinental Dhaka and PepsiCo Bangladesh.
The Chief Guest of the event, Saber Hossain Choudhury, member of Parliament, and special envoy to the Prime Minister on Environment and Climate Change expressed his appreciation for the Alliance and said: “We need to get all kinds of industries to join this coalition and not just the big multinational companies. You can be the trailblazers but who will follow the trail? We need all kinds of engagements from big corporations to SMEs. I can only say that there will be constructive engagement from the ministry and wish the best for this initiative.”
Asif Saleh, the executive director of Brac and Zaved Akhtar, chairman and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh Limited commenced the evening with a presentation on the background and journey of the Alliance.
Zaved Akhtar said: “As the world realized the potential crisis of plastics on our environment, Unilever proactively committed to tackling the issue holistically. Through innovative strategies in Bangladesh, we are working on reducing virgin plastic use, collecting plastic waste, and promoting circular practices. Even with the progress made, uncollected plastic still plagues our communities, emphasising the need for stronger systems and partnerships. Bangladesh Sustainability Alliance will play a critical role in facilitating collaboration with like-minded partners in our journey towards our collective vision of a waste-free Bangladesh and lead the systemic change needed to forge the path towards achieving Vision 2041 for Bangladesh.”
While sharing context and the impetus for forming the Alliance, Asif Saleh said: “What makes BSA unique is that it consolidates the diverse social and private stakeholders of the ecosystem and brings forward a unified voice and action around the environment and our planet. We want to advocate through demonstrating real action by a wider coalition of partners.”
Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO of Standard Chartered Bangladesh shared his delight in joining the alliance and said: “We have been a committed partner in progress to Bangladesh for over 118 years and are setting long-term ambitions for our role on climate change, social equality, and equitable globalisation. These are big ambitions for our business and in society - so big we can’t get there alone. That’s why we are collaborating with partners across the board, from CSMEs to multinationals, fintechs to NGOs.
Khadem Mahmud Yusuf, CEO of BPCL shared that the recycling industry, including BPCL, reduces plastic pollution by diverting waste from landfills, conserving resources, lowering emissions, and promoting a circular economy. As a member of BSA, BPCL aims to collaborate, innovate, engage communities, and influence policies to achieve a cleaner and more sustainable environment in Bangladesh.
The members urged more stakeholders to join the Alliance: “We are calling on the other stakeholders to come and partner with us to combine resources and capacity to develop solutions for the intractable climate and waste challenges.”
