Bangladeshi authorities held a fair here on Sunday to promote eco-friendly alternatives to polythene, as polythene and polypropylene bags will be banned at all supermarkets from Oct. 1 and in other markets from Nov. 1 in the South Asian country.

The fair, with 24 stalls, featured environment-friendly products such as reusable bags, jute bags, paper bags and products made from bamboo and cane by dozens of government and private entrepreneurs.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, advisor to the Bangladeshi interim government’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, Climate Change, and Ministry of Water Resources, inaugurated the fair.

The adviser had earlier said that stern actions would be taken against producers of polythene and polypropylene starting on Nov. 1. The ban on plastic bags, which has been in place since 2002, will now be strictly enforced.

Officials said a detailed action plan was formulated to enforce the upcoming ban, including steps to raise public awareness through a nationwide media campaign.

The day-long f
air was part of various efforts to promote eco-friendly alternatives to polythene shopping bags.

Monira Zebin Sathi, an entrepreneur who participated in the fair, said the kind of prints they provide on the jute cotton bags are attracting the younger generation to use their eco-friendly products.

Another entrepreneur, Nasreen Akhtar Mila, said Bangladesh is in an era of environmental revolution. “We need to build a raw materials processing unit in Bangladesh which needs huge investment,” she said, adding that she expected Chinese investment in this field.

“What I personally feel is that Chinese investors are very supportive of these eco-friendly productions,” she said.

Source: The Namibia News Agency