After 23 years of polythene shopping bags being banned, ESDO convened key stakeholders to revisit the collective journey towards bold environmental governance in Bangladesh. Besides the Secretary General of ESDO, Dr. Shahriar Hossain and the Executive Director, Ms. Siddika Sultana; Syed Marghub Murshed, Chairperson of ESDO, former Secretary, GoB; Md. Ziaul Hoque, Additional Director General, Department of Environment; Rear Admiral Md. Khorshed Alam, Director, Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies; and ESDO’s Senior Technical Advisers- Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed, former CCF & Dr. Abul Hashem, former Chairman, Jahangirnagar University- were dignitaries who graced the event.

Stakeholders from MoFCC, DoE, IEDCR, MoHFW, DSCC, DNCC ADRA, IOM, UNDP, UNOPS, Children Watch Foundation, IUCN, BELA, TIB, TBS, Daily Star, Prothom Alo, Dhaka Tribune, DIU, BUP and IUB provided fresh perspectives and policy recommendations.

The keynote presentation was conducted by young researchers from ESDO, Ramisa Rahman and Ayesha Mostafa, who critically analyzed the socio-economic, legal, policy, and governance issues pertaining to polythene ban. Additionally, existing alternatives were assessed through a scientific lens to understand their sustainability potential.

The discussion highlighted the need for a proactive approach and sustained multi-stakeholder engagement that does not wait for a public health crisis to prompt action.