Plastic bags, particularly single-use plastics, have become a major cause for environmental pollution in Bangladesh.

The use of jute sacks to package 19 commodities remains a far cry 13 years past the enactment of the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010. 

Bangladeshi weavers and artisans are a powerhouse of talent and creativity. Although especially known for their Nakshi Kantha needlework, they excel at most other traditional, artistic forms of stitching as well. Four old friends, Shirajum Munira, Fardous Ahmed, Rahmatul Alam and Nusrat Jahan, recognised the strength in this ancient heritage and instantly knew what they had to do, to lend due recognition and visibility to artisans and their work. They decided to form SutarKabbo, an establishment where rural craftswomen would be trained to create quality handicrafts and sustain their livelihoods through their skills.

In the pursuit of something trendy, something easy and affordable, we are losing sight of one crucial aspect: sustainability. Bangladesh’s high jute production presents an excellent opportunity for us to step in and re-capture a market that is constantly in need. Although the Golden Era for jute — the Golden Fibre — is spoken in past tense, based on current global demand and as nations come together to create a sustainable future — a second coming is just across the horizon. 

In the wake of increased usage of polythene as relief bags, the Directorate of Environment (DoE) have urged the concerned authorities to switch to jute bags to protect the environment.