Experts urge local manufacturers to focus on energy savings

Local electronics appliance industries should focus on manufacturing environment-friendly and energy saving products to reduce carbon emissions while energy-efficiency standards should be imposed on imports, said experts recently.

The country's overall export earnings, especially the sale of domestic electronics appliances, are now on the rise, said AHM Ahsan, vice-chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) according to a press release.

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"Its good news for us that local products have already created a potential market for exports. This export potential needs to be harnessed through eco-friendly, improved quality, energy-saving and innovative technology appliance production," he said presiding over a seminar.

The seminar, "Global warming challenges and achievements of Bangladesh's electronics appliance sector" was jointly organised by the EPB and Walton Hi-Tech Industries at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center at Purbachal on Monday.

Noor A Alam, deputy managing director of Elite Hi-tech Industries, said they were taking steps to produce energy saving, environmentally friendly appliances locally.

But since most of the imported air conditioners and refrigerators have low energy efficiency, steps taken by the local industries to protect the environment will not come to benefit, he said.

So energy-efficiency standards should be imposed on imported products, he said.

Tapash Kumar Mojumder, chief of Walton Hi-Tech's Research and Innovation, said it was possible to manufacture electronics products capable of high energy savings through research and innovation.