Photo: Collected
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that to save the leather industry, environment-friendly investment should be increased.
He said there would be no relaxation of quality standards in the leather industry. If the leather industry is not environmentally friendly, the export revenue target will not be met. He also called for the setting up of the Central Effluent Treatment Plant, or CETP, to make the leather industry profitable.
Saber was addressing as the chief guest at the high-level national dialogue titled "National High-Level Dialogue for Greening the Tannery and Leather Sector" held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Thursday.
He said, "If the river dies, this damage cannot be compensated by anything. Water should have a BOD in the range of 30, Dhaleswari water has four times more. Heavy metals more than twice. It has the potential to cause cancer in humans. Who will take responsibility for these losses? We can't play the blame game. Solve the problem, not be part of it. The journey must be made anew.
"Learn from your mistakes. Bangladesh wants to be a role model in many fields, including the leather industry. Making the economy eco-friendly is our priority. The government will provide the necessary assistance."
Charles Whiteley, ambassador, delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh; Zakia Sultana, senior secretary, Ministry of Industries; Prof Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, director, Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology (ILET), University of Dhaka, spoke at the programme, among others.
Various stakeholders in the tannery and leather sectors, including environmentalists and government representatives, participated in this dialogue and put forward various proposals and recommendations to make the sector more environmentally friendly.
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