Tel Plastics, the household goods brand of leading industrial group RFL, has launched an "Environment Development Fund" to improve the environment. At least Tk 2 from the sale price of various Tel Plastics products will go into the fund, and the money will later be spent on improving the environment.

Habibun Nahar, deputy minister of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, inaugurated the fund at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, on the afternoon of 29 March (Tuesday).

Speaking as chief guest, Habibun Nahar said the present government gives the highest priority to protecting the environment. Ministries work to implement the initiatives the government takes, while ordinary people only consume, which is why the balance of the environment is not maintained. If ordinary people were aware, the environment would be fine and "we would not have to see this situation today".

Referring to the Tel Plastics fund, she said: "What you are doing is a very good initiative. Thank you on behalf of the ministry. Your work is also helping us. I think the ministry should stand by you. No organisation is further ahead than you in standing beside the environment ministry."

RFL Group Managing Director RN Paul said that as a leading producer of household goods, RFL Group has a responsibility to work on the environment. "We believe business is not just about selling products. We try to think about how people will be well." From that sense of responsibility, the group has been involved in recycling plastic products since 2012. Every year it collects about 30,000 tonnes of "used plastic", producing about 27,000 tonnes of raw material.

"There are 18 crore people in our country. If we all become aware, the effect will be felt across the world. If we did not make the doors, tables and chairs we make, demand for wood in the country would rise and trees would have to be cut. So we can say our company is working to protect trees and the environment."

He said RFL, one of the country's leading industrial groups, has always run various programmes in the environment and other sectors as part of its social responsibility. "We have formed the Tel Plastics Environment Development Fund to carry out this work in a more organised way. We hope that through this fund we can play a bigger role in improving the environment."

Tel Plastics Executive Director Kamrul Hasan said at least Tk 2 from the sale price of various Tel Plastics products would be deposited in the fund. The money will later be spent on tree planting, preventing pollution in polluted areas, environmental awareness programmes for students and clean-up drives. Voluntary organisations working on the environment will also be sponsored through the fund.

Tel Plastics Head of Marketing Fahim Hossain, Deputy General Manager (Sales) Bashir Uddin, Senior Brand Manager Mainul Hasan and other senior officials were present.

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