Digital skills training helps green entrepreneur adapt to COVID-19

Esrat B’YEAH

“This is not just a business, this is a social responsibility,” says Esrat, who runs Tulika, a small business producing jute bags in Bangladesh.

Jute is a traditional crop in Bangladesh and has become a popular material in recent years. It is biodegradable, cleanses the air, requires less fertiliser than other crops and improves soil texture. It also plays a vital role in the economy, creating employment in rural areas.

These are all reasons why Esrat chose jute as a material for her bags. But when she first started her business, no one believed in her vision. Even her mother was angry at her for choosing to quit her job to start her own business and refused to provide financial support. Esrat found it difficult to find information and navigate the legal requirements for setting up a business. 

Training and mentoring

This all changed when she met up with B’YEAH, a member of Youth Business International (YBI) in Bangladesh. B’YEAH provided her with business training and paired her with a mentor. With this support and her hard work, Esrat built a successful business with 15 employees. She earned enough money to pay for her daughter’s education and contribute to her family’s expenses.

But when COVID-19 reached Bangladesh and the country went into lockdown in March, Esrat’s business came to a complete standstill for about three months. She even had to move production to a smaller factory to save costs. At the same time, her husband’s salary was reduced by 40%, which put her family in a financially impossible situation.

Reaching new customers online

With support from B’YEAH and YBI, through a programme funded by the IKEA Foundation, Esrat has taken her business online. She has received training in e-commerce and digital marketing and has adapted her business plan. She is now promoting her bags and connecting with customers on social media platforms to drive online sales. This has helped her reach new customers, continue to make money through the pandemic and even secure an order from Europe.

Esrat continues to work hard and dream big. Her goal is to export her jute products all over the world to raise awareness of and demand for this environmentally friendly material while bringing sustainable economic growth to Bangladesh. 

Opportunities for women

Esrat is also passionate about creating opportunities for rural women who have not received a formal education and struggle to find work. She is giving them the opportunity to use their handicraft skills to produce bags for her, working at home so they can earn money despite having to take care of the household and children.

Esrat wants to employ many more women and promote female entrepreneurship and green business around the world.

In Bangladesh, where micro, small and medium enterprises make up almost 99% of non-farm businesses, environmentally conscious young entrepreneurs like Esrat have an important role to play in making sustainability a priority. With their small businesses, they are contributing to an economy that values our planet just as much as profit.


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🔗 Head to our link in bio to read the report in full. 
 
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The IKEA Foundation supports @goglassociation to strengthen and develop the global industry around Productive Use of Renewable Energy (#PURE). Their #PuttingSolar2Work series highlights the benefits that renewable energy can bring to people like Doreen Njoroge. 

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By #PuttingSolar2Work, smallholder farmers aren't just enhancing their businesses but also becoming agents of climate action and economic growth.

🔗 Visit our link in bio to learn more. 

*Image credit to Agsol/GOGLA.

#IKEAFoundation #GOGLA #RenewableEnergy
The IKEA Foundation supports @goglassociation to strengthen and develop the global industry around Productive Use of Renewable Energy (#PURE). Their #PuttingSolar2Work series highlights the benefits that renewable energy can bring to people like Doreen Njoroge. Doreen is a mother of three from rural Kenya. In 2022, she adopted an Agsol solar-powered micro-mill, which has not only reduced costs and saved time but also provided her community with cleaner flour. Her story illustrates the potential of #OffGridSolar technology to foster opportunities and resilience. 🌽 🌍 By #PuttingSolar2Work, smallholder farmers aren't just enhancing their businesses but also becoming agents of climate action and economic growth. 🔗 Visit our link in bio to learn more. *Image credit to Agsol/GOGLA. #IKEAFoundation #GOGLA #RenewableEnergy
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Through training and skills development, the initiative aims to:

✅ Support 500+ waste enterprises.
✅ Generate 100,000 tons of responsibly sourced recycled plastic.
✅ Improve the livelihoods of 50,000 informal waste sector workers and waste pickers by 2026.

By working with global and local partners, we are strengthening plastic recycling supply chains to be fair, just, and inclusive—helping people and protecting the planet.

Head to our link in bio to read more.

#IKEAFoundation #TheCirculateInitiative
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The IKEA Foundation proudly supports Climate Governance Initiative because we believe effective climate leadership within business is vital to transition towards a sustainable and inclusive future.
 
Over the past five years, Climate Governance Initiative has grown into a powerful global movement, empowering over 100,000 board directors across 33 Chapters worldwide to drive bold climate action. 
 
"Climate Governance Initiative has built the foundation of a truly global and influential movement, and this Annual Report portrays a vigorous movement, ever-growing in strength and purpose." - Julie Baddeley, Chair of the Governing Board, Climate Governance Initiative
 
🔗 Head to our link in bio to read the report in full. 
 
#IKEAFoundation #ClimateGovernanceInitiative
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The IKEA Foundation proudly supports Climate Governance Initiative because we believe effective climate leadership within business is vital to transition towards a sustainable and inclusive future.
 
Over the past five years, Climate Governance Initiative has grown into a powerful global movement, empowering over 100,000 board directors across 33 Chapters worldwide to drive bold climate action. 
 
"Climate Governance Initiative has built the foundation of a truly global and influential movement, and this Annual Report portrays a vigorous movement, ever-growing in strength and purpose." - Julie Baddeley, Chair of the Governing Board, Climate Governance Initiative
 
🔗 Head to our link in bio to read the report in full. 
 
#IKEAFoundation #ClimateGovernanceInitiative
We’re pleased to share the Climate Governance Initiative 2024 Annual Report. 🌍 🙌

The IKEA Foundation proudly supports Climate Governance Initiative because we believe effective climate leadership within business is vital to transition towards a sustainable and inclusive future.
 
Over the past five years, Climate Governance Initiative has grown into a powerful global movement, empowering over 100,000 board directors across 33 Chapters worldwide to drive bold climate action. 
 
"Climate Governance Initiative has built the foundation of a truly global and influential movement, and this Annual Report portrays a vigorous movement, ever-growing in strength and purpose." - Julie Baddeley, Chair of the Governing Board, Climate Governance Initiative
 
🔗 Head to our link in bio to read the report in full. 
 
#IKEAFoundation #ClimateGovernanceInitiative
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