It is not about spending a portion of our revenue: rather doing something meaningful to leave positive impacts on society and it’s people

– Md Tajdin Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer, Daraz Bangladesh

How do Daraz view CSR?
Daraz, as a socially responsible organization, believes that it has a role to play in social
amelioration, which will ultimately help the cross-sections of people in multi-faceted
ways. We must not forget that it is the people who constitute this society, and if we want
to do something for society, then we must work for the betterment of the people. People
are also important for the whole industry because it’s our customers who are the
backbone of this industry. Therefore, we want to create scopes for the people of the
society as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) so that community can also
thrive. As the largest e-commerce platform in Bangladesh, Daraz believes that we need
to stand beside people in times of need. This is how we consider our CSR activities –
it’s not about spending a portion of our revenue; rather, doing something meaningful to
leave positive impacts on society and its people.

How do you think CSR can bring effective changes to our communities?
CSR indeed matters as it has the power to catalyze positive changes in the lives of the
communities and society in a broader sense. For example – Daraz has a CSR program
called ‘Ektu Ushnota: Blanket Drive’ which is carried out during the winter to stand
beside poor people who suffer from excessive cold. A piece of blanket does nothing
other than provide a feeling of warmth to the needy people who remain mostly
unnoticed in our society. This way, the corporates can make a difference in the lives of
the people through their CSR activities. CSR also gives companies an opportunity to
connect with people from all walks of life in meaningful ways.

What are your thoughts on the future of CSR in Bangladesh?
If I quote a line from Robert Frost’s poem, then I can say, ‘And miles to go before I
sleep.’ This is also true for our corporate entities as far as CSR is concerned. From
Daraz, we have been taking several initiatives to bring about positive changes. Daraz, in
partnership with Ovijatrik Foundation, has been collecting food from different shops in
Dhaka to be distributed among the destitute. Besides, Daraz also advocates for good
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) so that good social practices can be
established. Just like these initiatives, a more collaborative approach needs to be
adopted so that something bigger and more meaningful can be done that will have
drastic impacts on society. More support from the government, including different
incentives (like awarding tax rebates to those taking CSR very seriously), will inspire
more corporates to map out business plans driven by the spirit of CSR.