What if we pay you to change?

The pandemic had affected people all over the world profoundly. Apart from all the anxieties and fears related to COVID-19, there has been a huge economic downfall and a rise in unemployment. According to a government website (corona.gov.bd), the affecting rate is high and mortality rate is also increasing alarmingly. Educational institutions were opened after a long lockdown of 17 months but are again forced to shut down from the middle of January 2022 due to another wave of COVID. Not only high the unemployment rate but also the employment rate in Government and Non-Government organizations and the economic situation of Bangladesh was also hampered. Along with these a number of serious problems had also arrived, such as increased mental health problems, domestic violence, increased poverty, unemployment, reduced education quality, and increased by product wastage (masks, syringes, etc.). Experts around the world think that the dense population of Bangladesh and the lack of maintaining causes proper safety regulations is one of the main causes of the COVID-19 spreaded so fast. From the beginning of civilization mankind has learnt to evolve through all the problems that have arisen. Among all the problems that we have seen so far our world is heading towards a huge problem. COVID-19 is not the only problem that we are facing right now. It has brought all other problems along with it. One of the most dangerous underlying problems would be the wastage that is created due to all the used masks and non –disposable items that are being used in the hospitals and among mass people. Do we ever ask ourselves? Where is my Protection Suit going or where did I dispose my masks and gloves? A lot of questions may arise, but the answer is often very disturbing. According to MIT, the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to generate up to 7,200 tons of medical waste every day, much of it are disposable masks. There are other wastes as well. The biomedical wastes that are being produced due to COVID-19 can be a major threat to developing and densely populated countries like Bangladesh. It is estimated that around 5 million people around the world, including 4 million children, die because of the unmanaged proportion of biomedical waste that is produced every year. which is very shocking. Excessive biomedical wastes are a new threat to the world. And considering that Bangladesh is a middle-income country that has a large population already, the amount of medical waste that is going to be produced is also alarming. Bangladesh was already struggling with poor medical waste management before the COVID-19 pandemic and has now been hit hard by a sudden increase in the volume of medical waste. According to Casper Ohm a senior research scientist Plastic is not a biodegradable material and threatens life itself. It takes up to 500 years to disappear from the environment, while it breaks into pieces (microplastics) that still carry industrial chemicals. Furthermore, plastic manufacturing requires vast amounts of natural resources, and its single-use design demands more production. We may not be able to change the complete scenario, but at least we can ensure its reduced usage. We need to solve this problem as soon as possible, not only in Bangladesh but also for the betterment of the entire world. The solution to the above-mentioned problem is to come up with something that can both support those needs and eradicate the threat as well. There are existing products in this world that can both eradicate the problem and also be helpful to mankind. The idea is not very complicated. It is to create awareness and replace our regular items with biodegradable ones. Many among us may say, it is already there, people are working on it etc. But problems are also existing, just like fast fashion (problems with the mass production of cheap cloths following the latest trends) generated huge garment wastage after 90s, biomedical wastage is just a fuel to the fire for rising pollution and hampering the biodiversity of this world. To create an eco- friendly world we must replace and promote our ideas of eco-friendly substances. My idea is to work with and promote the ―Golden Fibre‖. Jute, well known as ‘Golden Fiber’ is used for clothing, cordage and sacking. Jute is factually one of the most resourceful fibers nature gifted to man, which has several uses. After cotton, it is the cheapest and most significant of all textile fibers. But why no one is using jute products? Most of us know that plastics are a big threat to our world right now. And the only thing that can eradicate the problem is jute. My plan is to create a brand for the masses that only uses jute products. From shopping bags, clothes, mask to other usual commodities used by us. The idea of Auric Bengal is very simple, to encourage the local Jute weavers and also to train them as workers for the fashion industry. This way we can create employment for them and also make their financial condition better than before. Auric Bengal’s website will also publish articles and blogs from environmental activists around the world and spread the idea, and the importance of eco friendly products. But there are jute products available already in the market but why no one is buying it? The answer is ―Because no one is paying them to buy it!‖ It may sound hilarious. But this is where Auric Bengal starts. AB has a scheme called ― Recycling Scheme, where everyone can collect money for depositing their used jute bags. Auric Bengal can also create booths around the town where for every plastic bags or reusable items that they return they will get a certain amount of money from it. We can follow the same idea that Germans are following and implement it on Bangladesh. The process is easy. When they bought their drinks, the shoppers paid a deposit on top of the cost of the beverage itself — the so-called Pfand.

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When they return their bottles and cans to the store, they get their money back. “Before 2003, some 3 billion disposable beverage containers were dumped in the environment every year,” Thomas Fischer, head of circular economy at NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH), told DW. These days, the country boasts a return rate of above 98%. “It’s impossible to reach a higher rate,” Fischer said. We will collect an extra amount (a lot smaller amount than the price itself) for selling our branded items. And when the people return it they will get their money back. For example, Mr Pranto went to the medical store to buy jute masks and medicines for Covid. The shopkeeper told him to take the jute bags for buying jute masks. He dropped the bag after taking the things inside of it. Now another person Mr Rubayet who is very unprivileged. Decides to pick the bag and return it to the nearest store, and he gets 2 taka for returning it. This 2 taka is the amount that Mr Pranto contributed for the betterment of Bangladesh. Now assume Mr Pranto returns 5 bags from the street, he gets 10 taka. Now the cost of the bag remains same. What we are doing is, we are including our consumers to our business. If we promote our products like this it won’t be long before people gets obsessed with returning garbage from the streets and getting cash from it. In the same way we can also launch other products gradually and apply the same way. For example Auric Bengal can apply it for dresses made from jute, or watch straps made from jute. And apply this formula to eradicate the problem for ―Fast fashion as well. For dresses, we can know from the experts that jute is the cheapest fiber out there. Thus we can manage to lower the price for our products and sell it all from the upper level to lower level consumers. And for the masks, it can be disposed or burnt as well. Now the most anticipated question may arise! What about the smoke that comes out from burning the jute byproducts? For those concerned people, the answer is written by many experts that burning jute is not harmful as to burn plastic items. Rather, disposing jute items is a lot better than disposing plastics. We can see the emergence of an eco-entrepreneurship brand, "Auric Bengal," with the tagline "The green world we dreamt for." The product line includes a range of jute-based clothing items, such as shirts, pants, and jackets, as well as accessories like bags and hats. Each of the products is designed with both form and function in mind, ensuring that the customers look and feel great while also doing their part to protect the planet. At Auric Bengal, we are proud of the impact idea that we have for the environment and the community. Through our commitment to sustainability, we can show that it is possible to build a successful business while also prioritizing social and environmental responsibility.