The government will prioritise the use of concrete blocks over traditional bricks in public construction work and look at ways to further scale up block usage going forward, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo said on Sunday.

"To protect agricultural land fertility, cut air pollution and carbon emissions, and build a sustainable construction system, all concerned ministries, government engineering departments, manufacturers and other stakeholders must work together in a coordinated way, balancing environmental protection with the practical needs of the construction sector," Mintoo said while chairing two separate meetings at the ministry's conference room on boosting eco-friendly construction materials, reviewing progress on block usage in government projects, and addressing brick industry issues.

Saimum Parvez, the prime minister's special assistant on environment, forest and climate change affairs, attended as special guest and said the prime minister supports increasing investment while protecting the environment, urging brick kiln owners to adopt eco-friendly technology as soon as possible.

The first meeting reviewed progress on ensuring the use of eco-friendly blocks in government construction, repair and renovation work, with representatives from various ministries and divisions, government engineering departments, the Department of Environment, the Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI), and the Bangladesh Concrete Block Manufacturers Owners Association taking part.

Participants discussed proposals to rationalise customs duty and tax on raw material imports, reduce VAT at the production stage, allow VAT rebates on raw material purchases, and offer incentives for recycling industrial and construction waste, with emphasis placed on taking these proposals up with the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

The meeting also discussed involving the Public Works Department and other government engineering offices, alongside HBRI, in quality control and monitoring, and providing necessary training to engineers, technicians and masons to ensure block quality.

In the second meeting of the day, the ministry held discussions with representatives of the Bangladesh Brick Manufacturing Owners Association and the Bangladesh Auto Brick Manufacturers Association on issues facing the brick industry, including environmental compliance, raw material and fuel use, and the shift toward more eco-friendly, modern production systems.

The meeting called for cooperation to reduce the environmental impact of conventional brick kilns, legal action against illegal kilns, discouraging the use of agricultural topsoil in brick-making, and expanding modern, technology-driven automatic brick and eco-friendly block production to control pollution. Brick industry representatives shared their views and proposals on the sector's challenges, potential and the policy support needed.