MGI is turning CSR into long-term social investment

"At Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), corporate social responsibility is now part of how we do business, not just an extra activity. After 50 years in Bangladesh, it has become a core part of our operations," says MGI Director Tanveer Mostafa.

"Any large group cannot grow in a country and stay disconnected from it," he said in a recent interview with The Business Standard. "We have come to see CSR less as something we give back and more as something we owe forward."

Infographic: TBS

This approach comes partly from their roots. MGI Chairman and Managing Director Mostafa Kamal started the People's University of Bangladesh and the Foundation for People's Education well before CSR was expected in the country. "My father built an educational institution before he was required to build anything. That has shaped how we think about responsibility as a default setting, not a budget line."

MGI now focuses its social investment on five main areas: Mother & Child Care, Health Care, Education, Sustainability, and Community Development. Tanveer explained that this structure is intentional, aiming to move away from one-time donations and instead build programs that grow and have a lasting impact.

"Short campaigns generate headlines. Systems generate outcomes," he said. "We have moved towards initiatives that strengthen the institutions communities already rely on, rather than building separate ones that disappear when funding ends."

Mother & Child Care

MGI's work here concentrates on preventive care and early intervention for women and children. The portfolio currently includes a nationwide breast cancer awareness campaign, ultrasound machine donations to under-equipped facilities, the Nirapod Pani Chai (Safe Water) campaign, the MGI Baby Care Zone at Shahjalal International Airport, advocacy for people with Down Syndrome, and a partnership with the Bidyanondo Foundation.

Tanveer described the design principle behind this group as addressing "three barriers": awareness, access, and stigma.

"You cannot solve the access problem without first solving the awareness problem. Many women in our communities are not screened, not because the service is unavailable, but because no one has told them that screening matters. We try to address both layers, and to do so without compromising the dignity of the people we serve."

Health Care

The Health Care pillar serves the wider population, focusing on emergency response and underserved areas. Recent programs include MGI's collaboration with Bangladesh Cancer Aid Trust (BANCAT), cyclone relief in Sylhet's flood-affected districts, Covid-19 response, hospital funding partnerships, and the National Used Cooking Oil Collection Mission for Bangladesh in partnership with Münzer Bangla. This last program addresses both a public health risk and an industrial recycling opportunity simultaneously.

"The cooking oil program is a good example of our approach," Tanveer said. "It is a health intervention, an environmental intervention, and a circular-economy intervention all at once. That is the kind of design we want to use throughout our work."

Education

Education is the area where MGI invests most directly, and it is especially important to the Chairman. In addition to founding the People's University of Bangladesh and the Foundation for People's Education, the group established Al-Haj Noor Miah Degree College, Mostafa Kamal High School, and other institutions, including donating a vehicle to Al-Haj Noor Miah Degree University College. MGI also provided significant financial support to the Dhaka University Marketing Alumni Association's scholarship fund, which helps students at Dhaka University who are facing financial hardship.

"Scholarships are not gifts. They are early-stage investments in human capability," Tanveer said. "The return shows up a decade later, in a household that has crossed an income line, or a daughter who has become the first graduate in her family. That is the return curve we are underwriting."

Sustainability

Sustainability is the pillar Tanveer treats with the least sentimentality and the most candour.

"Plastic waste, water stress, and climate vulnerability are not abstract environmental concerns. They are inputs to our cost base and risks to our supply chain. A company that ignores them is not being prudent; it is being negligent."

MGI's main program in this area is Plastic Farming, a two-year research and development project that turns used plastic bottles into floating farm structures for flood-prone, land-scarce communities. This project addresses two major problems in Bangladesh: the loss of farmland to flooding and severe river pollution with plastic. Other related programs include the My Green Initiative drives in MGI office periphery and office surrounding areas, the Seabin Project at Banani Lake, which has collected about 13 tonnes of floating debris in around 60 months, and the MGI dustbin installation at Kamalapur Railway Station, which has made a clear difference in cleanliness at one of Dhaka's busiest public places.

Tanveer was direct about where MGI has further to travel.

"Our operating footprint is large, and our transition is not finished. We are honest about that. For a group our size, the right approach is to measure, to publish what we can, and to improve every year, not to claim we have already arrived."

Community development

Tanveer said the fifth pillar, community development, connects the other four pillars to MGI's daily operations.

"Most of MGI's plants, depots, and distribution networks are located within communities. The people who work in our factories live in those communities. For us, CSR cannot just mean sending money from Dhaka; it has to mean being a trusted neighbour in the districts where we really operate."

What comes next

When asked how MGI's CSR philosophy will change in the future, Tanveer emphasized the importance of structure.

"In a country of 170 million people, businesses cannot wait for the government to solve every social problem, and the government cannot wait for businesses to step up. We need to meet halfway and measure our progress. Over the next five years, MGI's CSR work will focus more on published targets, third-party verified results, and partnerships that last beyond any single program."

"A business becomes stronger when the communities around it also move forward. After 50 years, we know this is not just a slogan. It is the real reason a Bangladeshi conglomerate can keep operating."

Beyond business: How MGI is touching lives through CSR

Mother & Child Care, education, healthcare, sustainability, and community development have emerged as key pillars of Meghna Group of Industries' CSR strategy as the company expands its social impact initiatives nationwide

"Breastfeeding in public spaces is often uncomfortable and awkward. Last week, I was rushing to catch my flight and worried about where I would feed and change my baby. Finding a dedicated zone with facilities a mother needs made a huge difference," said Sharmin Rahman, speaking to TBS about the MGI Baby Care area at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

This is just one example of how MGI shapes its CSR work for communities across Bangladesh. Instead of only making donations or running short-term campaigns, MGI creates meaningful, need-based programs that connect people with essential services. This approach shows a real commitment to understanding and meeting community needs in practical, lasting ways. Through

MGI's Baby Care initiatives alone, around 65,000 beneficiaries have been benefitted so far.

MGI's CSR initiatives are aligned with education, sustainability, health care, community development, and mother & child care. From environmental protection and disaster relief to health care awareness and educational support, the group has been working across sectors to advance social welfare and long-term development.

Over the years, MGI has established several educational institutions across the country, including university, colleges, and schools, alongside several madrasahs and polytechnic institute to expand access to education and support students from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Currently, over 2,000 students attend these institutions, and many receive accommodation and tuition support based on financial need. MGI hopes these programs help underprivileged families keep their children in school without financial worries.

"Despite being a highly engaged businessman with an extremely busy schedule, Mostafa Kamal consistently remains connected to his roots and community. He continues to visit his birthplace and actively contributes to local development initiatives. The educational institutions he has established in the area have helped make quality education more accessible to all, especially students from remote villages," said Latiful Islam, a local resident of Kankapait.

The group has also extended its support to higher education through scholarship and institutional support programs. One of MGI's major educational contributions was a scholarship donation to the Dhaka University Marketing Alumni Association to support financially challenged but deserving students.

MGI also provided support to the Department of Chemical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) to strengthen laboratory facilities and assist talented students facing financial hardship. Through these initiatives, the company says it aims to contribute to long-term human resource development and help create a more skilled and educated generation for Bangladesh.

Under Mother & Child care, Fresh Anonna, a sanitary napkin brand of MGI, has been working to improve menstrual health awareness and support hygiene for women and girls across Bangladesh through various CSR activities focused on breaking social taboos around menstruation, ensuring access to sanitary products, and educating young girls about menstrual hygiene.

Over the past few years, Fresh Anonna has organised awareness campaigns, workshops, and free sanitary napkin distribution programs in schools, colleges, universities, factories, and underserved communities.

TBS reached out to school students in Old Dhaka, where MGI had conducted awareness campaigns years earlier. Nilufa Yasmin, a student, described MGI's menstrual hygiene awareness campaign as eye-opening for girls. She said, "Menstruation is a natural process, and what truly matters is learning how to manage it with proper knowledge and confidence."

In 2022, MGI launched a mobile breast screening clinic that travelled across the country from Teknaf to Tetulia, offering free checkups for women. The campaign screened about 1,000 women and found over 100 abnormalities, helping many get early treatment.

For Sustainability, MGI has launched several environmentally focused initiatives. Its "Plastic Farming" project, which converts discarded plastic bottles into floating farms, has emerged as one of the company's flagship programs. The initiative has enabled cultivation on more than 2 million acres of farmland, collected 117 tons of plastic waste, and provided hands-on training to more than 15,232 farmers through 117 online and offline training sessions. More than 100,000 informational flyers were also distributed among farming communities.

The group also installed waste collection devices at Banani Lake, introduced rooftop solar panels, promoted the recycling of used cooking oil into biodiesel, established modern effluent treatment plants, and installed dustbins at Kamalapur Railway Station to encourage proper waste disposal.

MGI received several national and international recognitions for its CSR and sustainability initiatives. Its "Plastic Farming" project won the 'SDG Brand Champion Award 2024' in Climate and Environment and received five awards at the 2024 'Commward'.

The initiative also gained international recognition at 'MAD STARS 2024', winning Gold in Brand Experience & Activation, Silver in SDGs, and Bronze in Innovation. In addition, MGI received the "National Used Cooking Oil Collection Mission for Bangladesh" Award from Münzer for its contribution to sustainable waste management.

In healthcare, MGI has partnered with Bangladesh Cancer Aid Trust (BANCAT) to support cancer awareness, donated an ultrasound machine to Bangladesh Cancer Society Hospital, and provided land for a government community clinic. For community development, MGI focuses on public welfare, emergency response, and road safety awareness.

MGI's CSR initiatives are driven by a deep understanding of the gaps that exist in society. The group recognizes social progress as closely connected to economic progress, which is why it remains focused on contributing not only to economic growth, but also to the well-being and long-term development of communities across Bangladesh.