The world is looking to rein in single-use plastic. Will corporations in Bangladesh pay heed?
For a country that was the first to ban plastic bags, Bangladesh has failed miserably at containing the use of single-use plastic. The big corporations, despite their showy social commitments, bear a large responsibility
Have you ever been to Chandranath Hill in Shitakunda, Chattogram? If you climb up and reach the Chandranath Temple at about 1,152 feet height, instead of a stunning view, you will be greeted by a pile of trash.
The trash mostly consists of empty plastic bottles of water and carbonated drinks, and snack packets, from renowned local and international brands.
If you go to Cox's Bazar sea beach, you will also find similar plastic trash buried in the sand. Plastic juice and coke bottles also float in the water. When you dip your feet in the sea, you are caressed by plastic packets.
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According to ESDO (Environment and Social Development Organisation) in Bangladesh, every year, about 87,000 tonnes of single-use plastic are thrown away.
Globally, in 1980, plastic production was less than 100 million metric tons which increased to 400 million metric tons in 2019. The figure is expected to double in 2040.
The majority of this plastic is produced by the packaging industry and consumer products. Recently, Break Free From Plastic (BFFP), a borderless global organisation published its Global Brand Audit Report, where Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Nestlé came in as the world's top plastic polluters for five years running.
In Bangladesh, the pollution is dominated mainly by The CocaCola Company, Pran-RFL Group, PepsiCo, Partex Group, Akij Food and Beverage Limited and Unilever.
Activists around the world are now calling for a Global Plastics Treaty that can provide legally-binding mechanisms and enforcement policies to effectively reduce the amount of plastic both produced and used by corporations.
The carbon footprint of corporations
The BFFP movement unites over 2,700 organisations worldwide and 157,415 volunteers in 52 countries, who conducted 721 brand audits. These volunteers collected 763,004 pieces of plastic waste from their own respective countries.
The 2022 Brand Audit analysed five years' worth of citizen science trash-collection data, exposing how corporate voluntary commitments are not effectively reducing these companies' devastating environmental impact.
In Bangladesh, the volunteers collected plastic waste from the Bepin Park area in Mymensingh District on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, the Dhanmondi Lake area and surrounding communities in Dhaka District.
In three days, they collected around 19,963 plastic scraps. The total weight of the collected waste was measured at 131.6298 kg. After collection, the scraps were sorted and the brands were recorded in the data cards.
The audit record identified 33 local and 11 international companies producing nearly 200 brands in total. The study identified specific brands and their corresponding manufacturers whose items were found in the most abundant amounts. The brands included – Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mum, Pran, Zaa and Zee, Alooz, Matador Orbit, Bashundhara tissue (packet), Fresh Tissue (packet), Lexus, Center Fruit, Fruit Fun, Pulse, Ruchi, Sunsilk, Center Fruit, Mum, Kinley etc.
The total list is dominated mainly by The Coca-Cola Company, Pran-RFL Group, PepsiCo, Partex Group, Akij Food & Beverage Limited and Unilever. Unbranded products were also found in abundant quantities on the ground.
The Business Standard contacted Coca-Cola Bangladesh Beverages Limited, Pran-RFL Group, PepsiCo, Partex Group, Akij Food & Beverage Limited, Unilever, Square group (for Ruchi, Radhuni), Bashundhara tissue, Fresh tissue, Sunsilk, Center Fruit – asking they had any plans to address plastic pollution and if they did, how they would implement them. The local brands did not respond while the international brands forwarded the query to their international offices.
Among the collected waste, BFFP found 78.04642 kg of recyclable waste and 52.0526 kg of non-recyclable waste, which clearly underlines the fact that recycling alone cannot be the solution to the plastic pollution crisis.
A global treaty to curb plastic pollution
In March 2022, at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in Nairobi to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024, Heads of State, Ministers of Environment and other representatives from the UN Member States endorsed this landmark agreement that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic from source to sea.
The Global Plastics Treaty states we must stop excessive plastic production, must keep oil and gas in the ground, and must mainstream refill and reuse systems.
As the first-ever country to bring polythene and plastic bag ban laws, the question is, will Bangladesh be an active participant in this treaty? If it is, how would the corporations operate in Bangladesh?
Sharif Jamil, general secretary of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), pointed to Article 6a of the Environment Protection Act 2002, which makes production, marketing or use of any kind of single-use plastic bags and polythene that is harmful to the environment a punishable act.
"Big corporations have no accountability to the government. They are violating the legal framework without any fear of punishment. More than the corporations, it is the government of Bangladesh that needs to be serious about its responsibilities."
"There was a time when we took reusable bags to grocery shops. Now, bags are available at the vegetable market as well as super shops. Many countries have adopted the 'polluters pay principle' where bags are offered to shoppers only if they need them, and that too in exchange for a certain amount of toll. That's how, by including the people, regulations can be implemented."
Heading towards a cleaner world
Bangladesh was the first country to implement a ban on polythene bags in 2002. Since then, other countries have followed suit, introducing their own measures to combat the persistent and pervasive nature of the harm caused by plastic bags.
The Jute Packaging Act 2010 promoted an alternative to plastic packaging for six essential items (paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertilizer, sugar). In 2020, the High Court directed concerned authorities to ban single-use plastic in coastal areas and all hotels and motels across the country.
In 2014, the Netherlands became the first country to outlaw the use of microbeads in personal care products like facial cleansers, toothpaste, and household cleaners. Since then countries like Australia, the UK and South Korea have followed them.
India - where about 26,000 metric tons of plastic waste is generated each day - has been experimenting with plastic roads since the early 2000s. Over 6,000 miles of roads in India have been built using plastic-recycling innovation, since its first trial.
In 2021, Maine became the first US state to introduce a revolutionary law to put the responsibility of packaging waste on companies. The Extended Producer Responsibility Programme will shift cardboard, plastic containers and non-recyclable packaging recycling and disposal costs to the manufacturers.
The EU announced its first-ever Europe-wide strategy to curtail plastics consumption and pollution in 2018. With a ban on single-use plastics, the creation of a comprehensive reuse system, and the establishment of a market for recycled plastics, the EU aims to create the world's first 'circular' plastics economy.
In all instances around the world, governments are being strict in implementing laws and regulations and holding polluters accountable for their conduct. That has however not been the case for Bangladesh.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bela (Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association), also emphasised the individual effort to reduce single-use plastic.
"As an individual, if you want, you can become plastic free from today - instead of plastic bags use jute or fabric bags. Instead of single-use plastic plates, cups and glasses, you can easily use glass or brass plates and cutlery," she said, adding, "the only thing that might be a bit problematic is the pen - you cannot go back to using ink and fountain pen overnight. Other than that, we have alternate options for every single-use plastic material we use in our everyday lives," she said.
