Green business

Masrur Khan, a young Bangladeshi, comes up with Good & Green to promote eco-friendly products

It’s truly said that green is the new black. Starting from a eco-friendly chair to handmade paper to green umbrella to the green lamp, eco-friendly products are a rage today. They can be seen used in advertisements, as slogans, labelled on products of all types.

Eco-friendliness is more than just a trend today. What started as hype in the business world about a decade ago is now a standard parameter to measure a company’s performance, success and value. So today starting from baby products to skincare products to home decor to products of daily needs, one can find green products in every sector.

Today, eco-friendly products are being made from a vast array of materials. While companies in countries like the US, UK etc have pioneered in making use of eco-friendly green products, nations like Bangladesh have started realising their importance.

Looking to tap this huge market, Masrur Khan, a young Bangladeshi entrepreneur, formed a company called Good & Green for manufacturing and exporting eco-friendly products. His company exports handmade paper, products made of handmade paper such as price tags, notebooks, and home decorations to countries like Australia, UAE etc.

Khan says he wanted to come up with something, which is eco-friendly and ethically produced. "Back in early 2013, I saw an upward trend for eco-ethical business globally. So when I came to know the potential of jute as a very viable alternative for plastic and other synthetic materials that are polluting our world, I wanted to use this opportunity to the fullest," says Khan.

Jute is one of the world's most natural (and most under appreciated) eco-friendly materials. Khan saw this opportunity as jute is one of the largest export earner for Bangladesh. "With the rise of global consciousness for eco-friendly products, jute can be the best alternative and Bangladesh has the best combination to take that opportunity," says Khan.

However, there were many obstacles in the path too. Masrur first had to visit some jute mills across Bangladesh to inspire owners to revive their productions of jute fibres and jute products. He then went to the nearby villages to talk with the village women to utilise the traditional craftsmanship of rural Bengal. "We believe business and social good is possible," says Khan.

Currently, they are offering eco-ethical packaging, gift items, small-scale eco-ethical fashion items like hand bag, clutch bag etc, made from jute and handmade paper. "Basically, we are focusing in packaging products now, because this is a huge industry," adds Khan.