The Press Release was first published in The Business Standard. Click here to read the original publication.

Bangladesh is ready to be a global leader in sustainable development by emphasizing collaboration and innovation in adopting a gender-responsive and inclusive circular economy. The National Workshop on 'Adoption of Gender-responsive and Inclusive Circular Economy,' organized today (11 March) at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), highlighted the crucial need for transitioning to a circular economy to meet ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as outlined in the NDC.

Implemented under the 'Climate Promise - From Pledge to Impact' project, supported financially by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, the workshop showcased a consortium led by Nature Conservation Management (NACOM) in partnership with the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).

The Circular Economy (CE) model, emphasizing sustainable resource use and waste minimization, offers a promising alternative to the Linear Economy (LE) model. 

Keynote presentations by circular economy experts Dr. Mohammad Asaduzzaman and Mr. Sachin Pant focused on policy landscapes and initiatives in key sectors such as RMG and textiles, construction and demolition, plastics, electronics, and solid waste management. They underscored the importance of gender-responsive and socially inclusive approaches, advocating for public-private partnerships and collaboration to scale up circular economy initiatives.

Commenting on the RMG and textile industry, Professor of Economics, East West University, A K M Enamul Haque of , called for policy intervention to promote circularity. Dr. Md Tarek Uddin, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, urged a rethink of construction practices, emphasizing the mainstream use of demolished concrete.

Addressing participants, Mr. Arif Faisal, Programme Specialist, UNDP, highlighted the second phase of the Climate Promise project, focusing on formulating a national circular economy strategy. He stressed the urgency of adopting a circular economy to address biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, pollution, and increased greenhouse gas emissions, emphasizing the need for a massive awareness campaign to shift citizen behavior.

Later the technical session moderated by Mr. Zaki Uz Zaman, Representative, UNIDO, where Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Economist, and Chairman, Dhaka School of Economics, emphasizing the importance of efficiency, behavioral change, and ethical consumption.

The workshop explored the feasibility of implementing circularity in Bangladesh and identified key considerations for a just transition. The Climate Promise project interventions are expected to integrate gender inclusivity and circular economic principles into Bangladesh's economic policies and practices