Sustainability Summit Stresses Strategy for SDG Success Thru' Water Conservation
Water conservation techniques can help reduce methane emissions and pave the way for Bangladesh to enter the promising carbon trading market, experts said at the Sustainability Summit held on Saturday, July 12, at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka. In his keynote address, Shehzad Munim, Independent Director of Linde Bangladesh Limited, emphasized the growing need to link sustainability with long-term economic reform and political accountability.
Speaking at the same event, Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman and CEO of PRAN-RFL Group, highlighted his company’s investment in renewable energy. “We are developing a renewable solar energy project in Moulvibazar, which might become the country’s largest,” he said. “Solar panels will be installed on top, while fish will be cultivated below. We submitted a proposal for a merchant power policy to the government, as such a policy was absent in Bangladesh. But we didn’t retreat. We didn’t say we would go to Canada for a merchant power policy. We asserted that just like in Thailand or Vietnam, Bangladesh also needs such a policy.”
In his keynote paper, Shehzad Munim stated, “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is no longer a choice—it is a necessity for survival. We need long-term reforms and cross-sectoral collaboration to succeed. ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) is not charity—it should be a core driver of business and governance if we are truly committed to the 2030 targets. While Bangladesh has made significant economic progress, our environmental indicators are currently at high risk.”
He cited Rajshahi as an example of how environmental health can be improved through local planning and civic engagement. “Now is the time to explicitly align SDG implementation with political commitments to ensure long-term policy-making and accountability,” he said.
The summit also featured discussions on using ESG data in the manufacturing sector, the need for public-private partnerships in building a sustainable nation, and the transformative potential of inclusive green growth. The event included three keynote sessions, three panel discussions, two insight sessions, and one case study presentation, aiming to outline how local brands and public-private organizations can contribute to the SDGs through strategic planning and policy alignment.
Among the speakers were Professor Dr. Mohammad Nurunnabi, UNESCO Chair on Green Skills and Climate Actions; Roger Levermore, President of the Asian Institute of Technology and Senior Strategy Advisor at its School of Management; Debashish Roy, Director – Advisory and Partnerships, Bangladesh Impact Investment Exchange (IIX); Tasnim Tayeb, Head of Environmental Compliance and Sustainability for South Asia at Coats; Dipesh Nag, Managing Director of Grameen Danone Foods Ltd.; Sunil Isaac, Country Managing Director at edotco Bangladesh; and Dr. A. K. Enamul Haque, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
A special and distinctive session featured students from leading universities in Bangladesh, where they shared their perspectives, challenges, and visions for sustainable leadership. The youth panel was moderated by Jannatul Ferdousi, Project Lead of the Sustainable Brand Initiative.
The second edition of the Sustainability Summit 2025 was presented by Akij Bashir Group and hosted by SMC Enterprise Limited. Strategic partners included the International Advertising Association Bangladesh, Asia Marketing Federation, and the Marketing Society of Bangladesh. Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel served as the hospitality partner, with Backpage PR as the PR partner and Turkish Airlines as the official career partner. The summit was organized by Bangladesh Brand Forum and the Sustainable Brand Initiative as part of the Bangladesh Innovation Conclave.
