Bangladesh's growth over the past decade and a half cannot be disputed. Yet, there have been legitimate question marks in recent years with regard to how sustainable this growth truly has been.
With Bangladesh looking to make the transition to a middle income economy in the next few years, it is imperative that, as our industries continue to expand, we are able to employ more sustainable practices to not only reduce waste, but also help further increase our growth rate.
In particular, in industries such as RMG where so much apparel waste is generated as a result of the manufacturing, there is tremendous potential for recycling and reusing the resultant apparel waste - and Bangladesh should be looking to explore this avenue seriously.
To that end, it is encouraging to hear Bernd Spanier from the European Union express interest in knowledge sharing with Bangladesh, equipping us with the right tools and technology to make this desire for sustainable practices a reality.
However, in addition to technical support, what is also required is will, on the parts of the authorities concerned and also the relevant stakeholders and industry leaders who will ultimately be responsible for overseeing what could be a significant transition for our industries.
If Bangladesh is to indeed be taken seriously as an economy, then it is time for it to start acting like a nation that no longer wants to be thought of as a least developed country.
To that end, establishing a cycle of sustainable practice across its industries would ensure that the growth we experience is not one that has adverse effects on the environment, nor one that is inefficient and unsustainable.
