CUET, February 10, 2025

On February 10, 2025, the Sustainable Capacity Building to Reduce Irreversible Pollution by Plastics (SCIP Plastics) Project had officially launched a month-long test phase through a kickoff event at Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology (CUET) to explore the feasibility of replacing plastic bags with jute. The event was inaugurated by the Honorable Vice-Chancellor of CUET, Prof. Dr. Mahmud Abdul Matin Bhuiyan, who was the chief guest of the ceremony. Two German guests from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Senta Rosemarie Berner and Philipp Lorber (scientific coordinators), attended the inauguration ceremony as part of this project. The scientific director, Prof. Dr. Mst. Farzana Rahman Zuthi, and scientific expert, Prof. Dr. Asiful Hoque from the SCIP Project were also present, along with other SCIP team members.

The initiative kicked off at the CUET basketball ground, engaging students, faculty, and staff in interactive activities. Students of different batches, teachers, and staff attended the event spontaneously. Participants took part in a fun game and received a jute bag as a token of appreciation. They were encouraged to reuse the jute bags throughout the test phase and share their experiences on a designated social media page to earn additional rewards. As part of the initiative, jute bags were available for purchase at selected shops across the CUET campus. Students could buy the bags, document their reuse, and upload pictures on the designated social media platform to qualify for further rewards, promoting sustainable habits and reducing plastic waste.

This project had inspired several initiatives to assess the rate of plastic waste generation on the CUET campus and in student residence halls, along with awareness campaigns against using single-use plastics for students, dining staff, and others. This jute bag campaign had been launched as a continuation of the project’s goals.

The ongoing test phase was expected to serve as a pilot model for evaluating the practical adoption of jute bags as a viable alternative to plastic, reinforcing environmental consciousness within the CUET community.

The SCIP Plastics Project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUV). 📢 CUET took a step towards sustainability—reuse your jute bag and help save the environment! 💚♻️