Bonayan has won the SDG Brand Champion Award in the climate and environment category at the SDG Brand Champion Awards 2023 for the positive impact of its tree-planting initiatives across the country. Bonayan runs the largest tree-planting programme in the country's private sector.

The awards programme, held recently at the Water Garden of the Radisson Blu Dhaka hotel, recognised 24 initiatives in various categories: 11 winners and 13 honourable mentions.

Golam Moin Uddin received the award on Bonayan's behalf. Also present as Bonayan representatives were Jorge Luis Macedo, Ahmed Raihan Ahsan Ullah and Sajjad Hossain.

The Bonayan project began in 1980 in response to the Bangladesh government Forest Department's call for large-scale tree planting. From the start it played an important role in the government's efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is now helping the government reach SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 15 (life on land) by raising Bangladesh's total tree-covered land to 25% by 2030.

Every year the project distributes 5 million saplings of fruit, forest and medicinal trees. The initiative operates in 22 districts, and so far it has given away 120 million saplings of more than 45 species free of charge. Over the years Bonayan has created several impact zones across the country through productive public-private partnerships.

Notable projects include greening at Shah Amanat International Airport, the Kushtia bypass road, Jamuna Bridge and several other sites. The project has won the Prime Minister's National Award five times and the Chief Adviser's award once. It has also won international recognition, including the "Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award" from Enterprise Asia for green leadership, and the "Bangladesh Innovation Award 2021".

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.