Despite having all the potential to earn billions of dollars, Bangladesh's leather sector is still struggling due to the absence of properly functioning central effluent-treatment plant (CETP) in Savar. It has deprived the country of having the certification from the Leather Working Group (LWG), which is mandatory for exporting leather products to top global brands. And despite having all the components like high-quality raw leather, expertise and cheap workforce for producing world-class finished products, the industry is virtually forced to limit its export earning to around only one-billion dollars. The CETP set up in Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate in Savar's Hemayetpur has been performing poorly since its inception in 2021. It does not have the capacity to treat large volumes of waste discharged by the factories. And it has been malfunctioning since day one.
The global leather-goods market is estimated to grow to $424 billion by 2025 and we have the expertise to take a chunk of it if the compliance issue can be solved. Moreover, solid waste from tanneries is valuable if it could be processed. The waste from leather could be used in furniture industry and the protein enzyme produced can see further use in tannery. If we can manage solid waste properly, it could be valuable and save the environment too.
Sirazi Shahjahan,
Malibagh, Dhaka,
mshaju001@gmail.com
Making CETP deliver
FE Team | Published: July 03, 2023 20:44:33
Making CETP deliver
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