Evaluating the effectiveness of environmental policies in Bangladesh
Rifat, Md Ridwanur Rahman (2025)
2025
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121837885
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121837885
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate how effectively environmental policies in Bangladesh promote sustainable business practices. As industrial growth and environmental degradation continue to increase, it is essential to understand whether existing policies—such as the Environment Conservation Act (1995), Environment Court Act (2010), and National Environmental Policy (2018)—are functioning as intended. The goal was to assess policy design, implementation, and alignment with international standards.
A desk-based qualitative approach was used, relying on secondary data from government documents, academic studies, and international frameworks including ISO 14001:2015 and the EU Water Framework Directive. Institutional capacity, enforcement mechanisms, and stakeholder involvement were analysed, and comparisons with similar developing economies were used to identify structural gaps.
The findings show that although Bangladesh has developed strong environmental policies, implementation remains weak due to limited institutional resources, inadequate enforcement, and low public participation. Compliance is higher in export-oriented industries but limited among domestic firms, especially SMEs. The study concludes that without stronger enforcement, better coordination, and financial and institutional support, environmental policies will continue to fall short of achieving sustainability goals. Strengthening these areas would improve environmental governance, support sustainable business practices, and contribute to long-term national development.
A desk-based qualitative approach was used, relying on secondary data from government documents, academic studies, and international frameworks including ISO 14001:2015 and the EU Water Framework Directive. Institutional capacity, enforcement mechanisms, and stakeholder involvement were analysed, and comparisons with similar developing economies were used to identify structural gaps.
The findings show that although Bangladesh has developed strong environmental policies, implementation remains weak due to limited institutional resources, inadequate enforcement, and low public participation. Compliance is higher in export-oriented industries but limited among domestic firms, especially SMEs. The study concludes that without stronger enforcement, better coordination, and financial and institutional support, environmental policies will continue to fall short of achieving sustainability goals. Strengthening these areas would improve environmental governance, support sustainable business practices, and contribute to long-term national development.