Bonayan triumphs as SDG Brand Champion in Climate & Environment

Collected

Bonayan has been honored with the prestigious SDG Brand Champion Award in Climate and Environment category at the SDG Brand Champion Awards 2023 for its impactful nationwide afforestation initiative.

It is also the largest private sector-driven afforestation program in the country, said a press release.   

A total of 24 initiatives were celebrated at the gala night, with 11 winners and 13 honorable mentions. The event took place on 26 May 2023 at the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden.

The accolade was received by Golam Mainuddin, alongside him Jorge Luis Macedo, Ahmed Raihan Ahsanullah, and Sazzad Hossain on behalf of Bonayan.

Bonayan started in 1980, responding to the call for mass plantation from the Forest Department of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Since then, Bonayan has come forward to help the government realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets and is now supporting the government to achieve SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) targets of enhancing forest area as a proportion of the total land area of Bangladesh to 18 per cent and to increase the area of tree-covered land to 25 per cent in relation to the total land area of Bangladesh by 2030.

Every year, Bonayan distributes 5 million saplings of fruit, forestry, and medical species.  The initiative is operating in 22 districts across Bangladesh and has provided over 12 crore saplings to date, free of cost, consisting of over 25 different types of plant species.

Over the years, Bonayan, through effective public-private partnerships, has worked to create several impact zones across the country and is committed to continuing this drive for a sustainable future.

Some of the notable projects of Bonayan include plantations at Shah Amanat International Airport, Kushtia By-Pass Road, Jamuna Bridge, and many more. Bonayan is very proud to have received the prestigious prime minister’s national award five times and the chief advisor’s award once. It has also earned international recognition, including the “Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award” for Green Leadership from Enterprise Asia, and the “Bangladesh Innovation Award 2021”.