Recycling of plastic products is a crucial step in Bangladesh's path to building a sustainable export market, experts said.

Otherwise, Bangladesh will continue to lose the export market for plastic products in the future, they added at a seminar, styled "Circular Economy to Enhance the Export Possibilities of Plastics Goods", yesterday.

The Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) and The British Standards Institution (BSI) jointly organised the seminar at the BPGMEA office in Dhaka.

The seminar aimed to address crucial issues and highlight strategies for the export of plastic products from Bangladesh to the UK and Europe.

An environmental policy as well as a national action plan are needed to enhance the circular economy, said Jane Gilbert, circular economy expert at BSI.

The policy will ensure a producer's responsibility for a product at the post-consumer stage, she said while presenting her keynote paper at the event.

It will also enable producers to ensure the appropriate collection and recycling or disposal of their products, she added.

Gilbert said such measures were needed to achieve sustainable development goals and work towards the prevention, reduction and elimination of plastic pollution.

"We need a systemic transformation to achieve the transition to a circular economy," she added.

She also said that Bangladesh will have to adapt international standards for goods and services to enhance exports after graduating from least developed country status in 2026.

BPGMEA President Shamim Ahmed said the use of plastic will increase as the country develops further.

"To reduce the use of plastic, we need to innovate. At the same time, we need to manage plastic properly."

He added that investment and infrastructural development are required for efficient waste management.

"We are implementing a circular economy in the country. Currently, 37 percent of mismanaged plastic waste in Bangladesh is recycled. The recycling process will be strengthened further," Ahmed said.

To expand the circular economy, he emphasised increasing competition, capturing new market opportunities, expanding the range of offered products, ensuring security of resources and taking steps to enhance the reputation of products and brands.

Syed Anwar Hossain, project manager of the UK-Bangladesh Standards Partnership Initiative, gave a presentation while KM Iqbal Hossain, senior vice-president of the BPGMEA, gave the closing speech.

The seminar was conducted by BPGMEA Secretary General Narayan Chandra Dey.

Md Salim Ullah, senior assistant secretary of the industries ministry, Abdur Rahman, joint secretary of the commerce ministry, and Zohra Sikder, director of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, participated in the open discussion.

Apart from this, experts in related fields and top leaders from various BPGMEA member organisations and different private organisations participated in the event.