Arla Foods in Bangladesh: A Journey of Sustainability

 

In 1961, the people of this land mass were introduced to a hitherto unknown product, powdered milk through the brand “Dano”, which was introduced as a baby food item. This product changed the perception of the people of this region; how milk and dairy nutrition can be available in different forms and yet be equally potent. From that point onwards, Arla has had an unwavering connection with Bangladesh. 60 years later, Dano would go on to become the most trusted powder milk brand in the country

 

However, Arla’s presence in and connection to Bangladesh has been more than its product. Throughout its journey in this country, the company believed in sustainable business practices and has been proactively responsible for the goodness of the communities.

 

As a part of its sustainability, Arla Foods Bangladesh has, till date, been executing multiple social projects. In 2020 alone, when the pandemic hit the world, Arla Foods Bangladesh supplied nutrition of milk free of cost in 23 districts of the country through 16 humanitarian organizations. Arla has also proactively reached out to more than 2.6 million people all over Bangladesh with affordable milk, awareness on nutrition and awareness on Covid-19 since 2021, including hundreds of RMG factories

 

Simultaneously, to create awareness for dairy nutrition Arla, in conjunction with three other NGOs and with support from Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), has initiated the “Pushti Ambassador Partnership” through which 5,000 rural women will be economically

 

 

empowered and aided by the affordable powder milk Dano Daily Pushti. As an extension of this project, Arla Bangladesh, with the support of local partners and aid from the DANIDA Marketplace Development Program (DMDP), has also initiated a recycling project for its foils

 

Additionally, with an objective to showcase a market-driven and sustainable dairy production to increase milk productivity and quality, alongside economic output of the local dairy value chain in Bangladesh in line with governmental ambitions for the development of the domestic dairy sector, Arla Bangladesh has partnered with Pran Dairy, a local dairy conglomerate. The core desired outcomes of the collaboration efforts are to educate and empower smallholder farmers and help them increase the quantity and quality of milk yield

 

Arla’s journey in Bangladesh has been one of trust, quality, and commitment. It pioneered new avenues of health and nutrition, has been continually contributing to the development of the dairy sector and society, and is continuously generating employment directly and indirectly. Arla is committed to ensure that not only it meets the high-quality standards but is also proactive in creating value in the business sector; be it through spreading awareness on nutrition or through building the capacity of the industry