Dhaka 21 September 2021: The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Pran RFL Ltd. Nestlé and Unilever have been Bangladesh’s largest plastic polluters for the fourth consecutive year. As per the Environmental and Social Development Organization (‍ESDO) Branding Audit Report. The report entitled “Bitter Truth of Plastic Pollution” was made public today as part of a virtual information session.
This year, ESDO conducted Brand Audit – an initiative of measuring the number of different brands that can be found on plastic waste across the country, for three consecutive days in Dhaka and Mymensingh City and collected 19,963 pieces of plastic wastes with a total weight of 132 kg and identified majorly 11 International and 33 local parent companies producing near about 200 brands including The Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever, Perfetti Van Melle, Bombay sweets and Co. Ltd, Pran RFL Ltd, Square Foods and Beverage Ltd, Akij Group, Meghna Group of Industries etc.
Session was chaired by former Secretary Government of Bangladesh and ESDO Chairperson Syed Marghub Murshed. Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Abu Jafar Mahmood, Former Chairman, Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka and Head of Technical Committee of ESDO; Prof. Dr. Abul Hashem, Former Chairman, Department of Chemistry, Jahangirnagar University and Senior Technical Advisor of ESDO; Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed, Chief technical Advisor, SUFAL project and Technical Advisor , ESDO; Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, Former Additional IGP of Bangladesh Police and Technical Advisor of ESDO; Alka Dubay, Program Coordinator, Toxic Link; Von Harnandez, Global Coordinator, BFFP; Shamin Ahmed, President Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufactures and Exporters Association; Nazmul Hassan, President, Bangladesh Pet Flakes Manufactures and Exporters Association; Dr. Shahriar Hossain Sir, Secretary General of ESDO, Ms. Siddika Sultana Madam, Executive Director of ESDO, Representatives of Different Associations and Organizations and our Journalist friends from renowned newspapers were also present at the webinar
Syed Marghub Murshed said “Single-use plastic has disastrous consequences not only for the environment but also for human health. Corporations must take responsibility for the plastic pollution they are causing. These companies have flooded our market with non-recyclable single-use items and multi-layer tiny sachets or packets he added.”
“For the fourth year in a row, the top plastic polluters have been the same large companies. These companies keep claiming that they are moving forwards to an eco-friendly system but truth is that they are still investing in the false solutions. Multinational corporations like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever, Pran must stop using single-use plastic packaging to prevent plastic pollution” said Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed.
From the Brand Audit result, it has been evident that, some popular corporations are mostly responsible for generating the largest amounts of single use plastics from our daily use. These corporations need to be aware of the fact and should urgently take immediate actions to minimize their contribution. It is no longer acceptable for companies to continue making a profit by pumping out toxic single-use plastic and expecting communities and local governments to shoulder the burden.
ESDO’s Executive Director, Ms. Siddika Sultana Stated that from plastic packaging, chemicals such as dioxins release into the water and food that can cause endocrine disruption, which can lead to cancer, birth defects, immune system issues, and developmental problems in children. Government must immediately emphasize in this matter.
Secretary General of ESDO, Dr. Shahriar Hossain said “The solution of the plastic pollution is Zero waste approach through which it is not only easy but also possible to achieve plastic free world.”
The Brand Audit tool is designed by Break Free from Plastic (BFFP) Global movement. The brand audit is mainly done to promote mass awareness and also for the manufacturers on safeguarding the environment from the harmful consequences of using single use plastics.
For more information, please contact:
Hridita Ferdous
Assistant Program Officer
Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO)
Email: info@esdo.org
 hridita@esdo.org
Mobile: +8801762-053420
Website: www.bansup.esdo.org