In a country like Bangladesh, where urban air pollution is already a growing concern, what if the walls inside your home were contributing to the problem too? Unbeknownst to many, traditional paints can silently release harmful chemicals into indoor air, sometimes for years after application.

From high-rise apartments in Dhaka to rural homesteads and factory facades, a quiet revolution is colouring the landscape of Bangladesh—one coat at a time.

The local paint industry is reeling from increased supplementary duties (SD), which threaten both revenue and the survival of manufacturers amid rising production costs and shrinking consumer demand, according to industry insiders.

Nippon Paint Bangladesh, a concern of Nippon Paint Holdings of Japan, has drawn up a strategy to be a leader in the growing paints and coatings industry in Bangladesh, said a top official.  

Like other sectors, the paint industry in Bangladesh is in troubled waters as the US dollar crunch has made it difficult for manufacturers to import raw materials in line with their demand.