Plastic pollution is not only a threat to the environment but also to public health -Saber Hossain Chowdhury
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), commented that sustainable development of the country is impossible without reducing plastic pollution.
He said this at a seminar titled ‘Innovation for Plastic Circularity’ at Hotel Radisson, a joint initiative of Unilever Bangladesh and Bangladesh Plastic Products Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA), on September 09, 2023, according to a press release.
According to Unilever, Member of Parliament Saber Hossain Chowdhury said, “12 to 13 years from now, when we become a trillion-dollar economy country, the level of environmental pollution, especially plastic pollution, will increase manifold. Sustainable development of the country is not possible if it cannot solve this problem.”
“Plastic pollution is not only a threat to the environment but also to public health, he said,” “’When plastic waste enters water bodies, fish also eat them.
By eating these fishes, microplastics enter our body and cause damage to public health. Proper management of plastic waste is necessary to protect the health of citizens.”
Planning Minister Abdul Mannan said, “It is not possible to give a good life to the country’s people without solving not only plastic pollution but all types of pollution-related problems.”
“It is crucial to ensure businesses operate in a peaceful and stable environment. We are committed to supporting the industry for the circular economy,” he added.
During the seminar, the guests inaugurated an exhibition titled ‘Innovative Materials and Packaging,’ which showed various innovative methods of producing and recycling plastic products and packaging by Unilever and domestic companies.
Fahmida Khanom, Additional Secretary of Ministry of MOWEFCC; Javed Akhtar, CEO and MD of Unilever Bangladesh; Shamim Ahmed, President of BPGMEA; and Amin Helali, Vice President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) spoke among others.
