May 07, 2026
Aarong recently held a press conference at BRAC Centre in Dhaka to address public concerns, clarify misconceptions, and share the impact of its Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) campaign, launched in September 2025 to reduce unnecessary paper bag consumption and encourage more sustainable everyday habits.
As part of the campaign, Aarong introduced a nominal charge for shopping bags while offering customers a BDT 15 cashback for bringing their own — reinforcing positive behavioural change through both accountability and reward. Over a seven-month period from September 2025 to March 2026, the results were significant: 46,79,721 paper bags were saved compared to the same period the previous year, equivalent to 6,000 trees, and Tk. 2,89,90,812 was raised from paper bag sales. Aarong confirmed that 100% of these proceeds will be reinvested into environmental and tree-planting initiatives across Bangladesh.
Building on this momentum, Aarong announced the next phase of its environmental commitment. Eighty thousand tree saplings will be distributed to 40,000 participants of BRAC's Ultra Poor Graduation Programme nationwide, while the Barind region in Naogaon will see the planting of 50,000 trees alongside irrigation support under the Habitat Co-Creation initiative. Additionally, 20,000 trees will be planted through two Miyawaki forests in Demra and Rupganj, in partnership with Mission Green Bangladesh.
During the briefing, Aarong thanked its customers for embracing this change. "Most of our customers are conscientious citizens, who are well aligned with Aarong's sustainable philosophy. They appreciated this campaign, encouraged us and we thank them for their belief in the right thing to do, even at a slight inconvenience to them, and for trusting us as an organisation." noted Tamara Hasan Abed, Managing Director, BRAC Enterprises. Aarong also acknowledged the value of customer feedback while emphasising that harassment, threats toward staff, and filming employees without consent remain unacceptable.
This initiative reflects Aarong's broader commitment to mindful consumption, slow fashion, and the use of sustainable materials and processes throughout its supply chain — and its enduring belief in building a greener, more sustainable, and resilient Bangladesh.
The keynote presentation is given below.
Watch the press brief now: https://youtu.be/