Desk Report:
The use of eco-friendly blocks will be gradually increased, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP. He made this comment today at a meeting to review the progress of increasing the use of eco-friendly construction materials and the use of blocks in government construction.
The minister said that it is important to increase the use of eco-friendly construction materials to protect the fertile soil of agricultural land, reduce air pollution and carbon emissions, and establish a sustainable construction system. All the concerned ministries, government engineering departments, manufacturing institutions and other stakeholders will have to work together, keeping in harmony between environmental protection and the real needs of the construction sector.
On Sunday (August 16, 2026), two separate meetings were held in the meeting room of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to increase the use of eco-friendly construction materials, review the progress of using blocks in government construction, and issues related to the brick industry.
Special guest at the meeting, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Md. Saimum Parvez said that the Prime Minister is in favor of increasing investment by protecting the environment. Therefore, brick kiln owners should convert to environmentally friendly technology as soon as possible.
The first meeting reviewed the use of environmentally friendly blocks in government construction, repair and renovation work and its progress. Representatives from various ministries and departments, Government Engineering Department, Department of Environment, Housing and Building Research Institute, Bangladesh Concrete Block Manufacturers’ Owners Association and relevant stakeholders participated in it.
To increase the production and use of environmentally friendly blocks, rationalization of import duties and taxes on raw materials, reduction of VAT at the production stage, rebate of VAT paid on purchase of raw materials and incentives for recycling of industrial waste and construction waste were reviewed. Emphasis was placed on discussions with the National Board of Revenue on these issues.
The meeting discussed the involvement of the Housing and Building Research Institute, as well as the Public Works Department, and other government engineering departments in quality control and monitoring activities to ensure the quality of the blocks, and providing necessary training to engineers, technicians, and masons.
In the second meeting of the day, views were exchanged with representatives of the Bangladesh Bricks Manufacturing Owners Association and the Bangladesh Auto Brick Manufacturers Association on various issues related to the brick industry. The meeting discussed the existing problems of the brick industry, compliance with environmental standards and laws, use of raw materials and energy, and various aspects of transformation into a more environmentally friendly and modern production system.
The meeting called for cooperation from the concerned parties in reducing the environmental impact of conventional brick kilns, taking legal measures against illegal brick kilns, discouraging the use of topsoil from agricultural land in brick production, and expanding the production of automatic bricks and environmentally friendly blocks based on modern technology to control pollution. Representatives of the brick industry presented their views and proposals on the problems, prospects and necessary policy support of the sector.
The meeting was chaired by the acting secretary of the ministry, Dr. Fahmida Khanam, and was attended by the concerned officials including Additional Secretary of the Climate Change Division, Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, and representatives of the Bangladesh Concrete Block Manufacturers Owners Association, Bangladesh Bricks Manufacturing Owners Association and Bangladesh Auto Brick Manufacturers Association.
