Sustainability has shown its diversity around the globe. It is needless to say that people are becoming more aware and circumspect of the situation going around. This ongoing pandemic has taught people of simple interest to love their nature and conserve it to their highest ability. Marine animals and forest mammals have increased in numbers since there is a very less percentage of pollution being caused. Similarly, textiles and fashion industries are also heading towards sustainable fabrics and fibers in Bangladesh. It is widely practiced outside Bangladesh since strict laws are enforced and penalties are imposed on those who actively participate in destroying the environment. We have covered a lot about fibers that are being constantly used around the world but there is a sustainable product we are all aware of but yet unaware of. Today it’s all about Jute and its eco-friendly impact on the environment and the history it is carrying forward in Bangladesh.Let’s begin with the history of Jute in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) is a public organization that owns and operates all government jute factories and industries situated in Bangladesh and more specifically near Dhaka.
The corporation was formed in 1972 when the government took the initiative of nationalizing all the jute mills present in the country back then. BJMC is a professional football team in its corporation. In 2016, the government planned to upgrade the jute mills, categorizing a revenue of US$ 340 million with Chinese assistance.
It is a state-owned business and it serves the people of Bangladesh. Its headquarters is located at Adamjee Court Annex – Motijheel. The most important factor of the jute industry is its workers. It is not only earning through its product but it is also ensuring that laborers are getting incomes and improving their lifestyle.
Statistics suggest that there are currently 129 mills that are producing jute in Bangladesh. 18 of those mills belong to public sectors while the rest 111 are controlled by private sectors. 61 of the mills are owned by BJMA members while the rest 50 are handled by BJSA members. (Business organization of private sectors).
Bangladesh is second in respect to India as they are producing 134900 tonnes of jute annually while India has 1968000 tonnes of jute production annually. Other countries for example China (29628 tonnes annually), Uzbekistan (20000 tonnes annually), Nepal (14890 tonnes annually) and South Sudan (3300 tonnes annually) are also producing jute.
Jute Industry was the largest one of Bengal under British supremacy during 1947. The first-ever jute industry was located in Kolkata near the Hooghly river. It was founded by an Englishman (George Auckland) and he took assistance from a Bengali (Shyam Sunder Sen). Jute production has been going around this region for a long time now. As machines were not available handloom techniques were applied in the 18th century to make twines, ropes, and coarse fabrics for the underprivileged population. There were some technical errors (jute needed to be straightened and softened before using it for higher velocities and drift) related to jute but the persons designated for this to solve found a way. They used remains of whale oil and water. Scottish industry revolutionized a lot about the operating system of Jutes. They were constantly busy experimenting with new techniques for producing jute. Another rising factor for the rise of jute in ancient times was the Creamer War (1854-56). Americans also substituted flax and cotton with jute during the civil war (1861-65) as it was fairly a cheap material. Scotland had settled their business and doing well but Kolkata was also progressing briskly. There were 18 mills at the end of the year 1882. They had made massive progress in the next 20 years as they managed to operate 35 mill industries which included 315 thousand spindles, 15 thousand looms, 110 thousand labors, and revenue of $41 million according to the Indian currency. Soon countries of Dundee preservation, for instance, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States imported jute. Bengalis did not get so much exposure at that time due to British restrictions but they had created a base of the local market in Kolkata and nearby areas. After the emergence of Bangladesh, BJMC had to take responsibility and the government nationalized the mill industries to take away the authority from the foreigners who were carrying this business. There was no measure of value and the mismanagement later caused BJMC to incur a loss of worth 60.19 crores taka after it was accredited as the national currency in the annual years of 1975-76 to 1977-78. They saw this loss occurring because of the increase in the price of raw jute, external costs of storing those and conserving them and it required a lot of workers. Some disloyal members used to promote corruption which in the end caused BJMC to suffer such a huge amount of loss. An official notice was later posted by the committee regarding the loss they had incurred. The stated points are in the following:
- Deterioration in the morale of the officers and workers.
- Inadequate supervision at all levels of the administration.
- Complete absence of motivation and sense of belonging.
- Non-accountability of the executive functionaries.
The preparations that were taken were baseless and as a result, it halted the progress of jute in Bangladesh.
We have so far looked through the history of jute in Bangladesh and its origin. Let us now closely analyze what jute is and why it is considered an effective sustainable material.
What is Jute? Jute comes from a vegetable that originally belongs to a plant eternity called the Sparrmanniaceae. The properties of jute are more or less very similar but there are different types of jute in the market now. It is long, soft, and is a very shiny fiber. Since jute is considered to be a strong fiber it is used to make threads. Further uses of jute include:
- It is used to make sacks and cloth for wrapping bales of clothing.
- It is largely a part of the Geo-textiles.
- Pulp and Paper.
- Household products.
- Non-woven textiles.
It transforms its shades from off-white to brown and thus it’s called the ‘’Golden Fiber’’. It was also once used to be the ‘’Wonder Crop” but synthetic fiber soon took its place.
Jute is also the most sustainable product. According to the Offset warehouse publications, there are many sustainable properties of jute and they are discussed below:
- As well as having natural UV protection, jute grows without the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
- It is completely biodegradable and can be recycled later to be used as a fiber.
- Jute reaches maturity within a very short span (4-6 months) which makes it the perfect renewable material.
- Natural rainfalls are more beneficial compared to continuous irrigation thus jute production uses less water from land and more from nature.
- Jute absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen faster than other trees.
- It increases the overall fertility of the soil which is a good sign for the future crops that will be harvested.
Jute has a very unique way of production. As mentioned earlier, it is a plant and grows on its respective stems. They are very tall. Jute requires a combination of both water and alluvial soil to grow. Alluvial soils have a lot of vitamins and minerals which makes them highly fertile. Optimum growth is only ensured when there is a mixture of hot and wet conditions. As discussed above jute requires more natural rainfall and the research results showcase that if the annual monsoon is 70% to 80% then more jute production will take place. It takes very little time to grow and thus it can be used again and again.
Many jute mills are currently carrying out their operations in Bangladesh. Some of the mill industries are listed in the following:
- B.S JUTE SPINNERS LIMITED.
- ABC AGENCY.
- AHAD JUTE MILLS LIMITED.
- AKIJ JUTE MILLS LIMITED.
- ANWAR JUTE SPINNING MILLS LIMITED.
- AZIZ FIBERS LIMITED.
- COROFIN JUTEX CORPORATION.
- FERDAUS JUTE MILLS LIMITED.
- NORTHERN JUTE MANUFACTURING CO. LIMITED.
Currently, there are many problems such as lack of scientific knowledge and modern tools, market tools, unavailability of quality seeds, low productivity, inappropriate market forecasting, and land fragmentation. Natural calamities, conflicts, and economic crises in the world market are also a serious concern for those who are currently operating in Bangladesh. Despite all the hindrances Bangladesh is slowly starting to experience the drastic change in weather forecasts due to the damage done so far. The use of jute fibers should be encouraged with immediate effect as it is the most suitable substitute Bangladesh has in ample amounts. We have covered a lot of substitutes and scientists are refocusing more on inventing these eco-friendly materials. As circumspect citizens, we should always keep in mind that sustainability should be promoted and always practiced on a large scale.
Written by Rafiad Ruhi
